Renegade's Return
by Firefall Bangenthump
Summary: Dr Doppler embarks on Amelia's flagship for a once-in-a-lifetime scientific mission, but the voyage of discovery is threatened when they find that a ruthless pirate is on the loose and wants Amelia to know about it. Amelia suspects the return of an old enemy from her past, but can Doppler get her to trust him with her fears? And what price is she willing to pay to do her duty?
1. Chapter 1

This story takes place shortly after the _Treasure Planet _film we all know and love and after Amelia's return to service as an Admiral, but before the events of the _Battle at Procyon_ PC game. I hope that it does Disney's wonderful setting and characters justice, that you enjoy it, and welcome any reviews.

Credit for the cover image goes to the inestimable Jabberwockychamber17, one of the most prolific and good-spirited Treasure Planet fan artists out there. The full-size version can be found on her DeviantArt page.

* * *

"Careful with that! I said, be careful!"

Doctor Delbert Doppler waved frantically from the Crescentia dockside up at the ship. Some of the crew paused in their work and looked at his in puzzlement, which didn't help his mood.

"No, no, no! You need to watch what you're doing! Please!"

A heavy hand clapped him on the shoulder. Doppler turned, an admonition on his lips, but it soon died away as he followed the hand up the thick arm to the enormous shoulder of the Cragorian to which it was attached.

"Oh...hello, Mr Kleff..."

"Is there a problem here, doctor?"

Doppler took a deep breath and sighed. "Do you think it would be possible for your crew to be just...a little more careful with my cargo? It's terribly important and rather fragile..."

Crewboss Kleff nodded. "We'll do our best, doctor. Please stand aside while we lower it onto the dock."

Doppler thought about arguing for a moment before he gave up and retreating, producing a crumpled contract from his pocket and reading it closely for words like 'insurance' and 'liability' while wishing that the funding he had obtained from the University of Montressor had stretched far enough to charter one of the bigger cargo companies. As it was, it had barely been enough to get the equipment to the spaceport and onto the first trampship heading to Crescentia.

"Where did you say your cargo had to go, doctor?" Kleff asked.

"The Navy dock," said Doppler. "Er...Pier 139, I think."

He looked up as a large crate was swung up from the trampship's hold by the loading crane. The box was well over thirty feet long and Doppler felt his heart in his mouth as the straining ropes lowered it slowly towards a waiting hauler than was hovering nearby, small solar sails glowing.

"Steady her by the bows, there!" bellowed Kleff, so loud that it made Doppler jump. "You men, brace those stays!"

Doppler watched anxiously, screwing up the contract in his nervousness until he remembered himself and stuffed his hands into his pockets. The stevedores manning the hauler stepped forward with long hooked poles to take hold of the crate and guide it down onto the floating platform. Doppler saw the solar sails glow brighter as they took the strain and the vehicle bobbed lower under the weight and he thought for one horrible moment that, having survived the journey to space and the unloading, the crate would now smash itself to pieces on the dockside. But then the whining note of the solar engines rose and the hauler rose with it to resume a safe height. Doppler suddenly realised that he hadn't dared to breathe for a full minute and exhaled hurriedly, panting as he took out a pocket handkerchief and wiped his forehead in relief.

"There," said Kleff cheerfully. "Not a problem."

"Yes, yes...thank you." Doppler straightened his ascot and coughed to cover up his passing anxiety. "Well. I suppose our business is concluded."

"That it is." Kleff nodded. "Farewell, doctor."

As the Cragorian turned and stumped away, bawling out new orders to his spacers, Doppler sighed gratefully and looked up. The little trampship couldn't afford the expensive berthing fees charged at Crescentia's inner docks, and had been forced to come into one of the smaller facilities towards the southern end of the giant spaceport. The rest of Crescentia loomed above them, curving over its own artificial horizon like a wave poised to break, sparkling white in the bright daylight. At its heart, Doppler could see the vast terracotta dome of Admiralty House, the spaceport's nerve centre. Even from here, he saw the bright pennant fluttering above the enormous Imperial ensign that flew from the great flagpole that crowned the dome. He smiled, knowing that it meant that Amelia – Admiral Amelia, he hastily corrected himself – was in her headquarters. For a moment he was tempted to visit her, but then he remembered his precious cargo that was waiting on the hauler, being securely strapped into place on its deck by its handlers. The stevedore boss coughed to get his attention, and Doppler shook himself out of his reverie.

"Yes. Well, let's go, shall we? Pier 139 in the Navy docks...and, please...drive carefully..."

* * *

Access to the Navy docks was through a tall, fortified stone gate. Doppler was relieved to see it as they approached. His insistence on caution during the long drive had added considerably to the journey time, and the hauler's crew was clearly growing impatient at him. Fortunately the papers he was carrying had been enough to convince the Royal Marine sentries to open the gates and wave them through. The Naval docks were a stark contrast to those of the rest of spaceport. The hustle and bustle of the crowds was gone, replaced by wide open spaces and the orderly movements of spacers and soldiers. Instead of the cries of merchants hawking their wares, there were shouted commands from officers and overseers. The docks were built of fine white stone and most of the piers stood empty as the ships of war that used them were on patrol or had not yet been assigned to the sector fleet. But one berth was most definitely occupied, and Doppler felt his heart lift as the hauler approached it and he got a close-up view of the warship that hung serenely at anchor. Even the hauler boss whistled in admiration.

"Now there's a pretty little scow," he remarked.

Doppler smiled and nodded. "She certainly is."

The RLS _Lyonesse_, proud flagship of Battlefleet Crescentia, her ivory hull trimmed in Imperial blue and gold, hung in space like a four hundred foot rapier. She was undoubtedly a weapon – the row of gunports that marked her flanks gave silent testimony to that – but her shapes were those of the predators of the natural world. Zaftwing and skyshark had both lent their lines to her design, but neither approached the _Lyonesse_ for majesty. Her sails were still furled against her dorsal and ventral masts, but her sweeping lines hinted at something of her speed. A gangplank ran from the pier up to her deck, a steady stream of figures coming and going. The hauler pulled up on the dockside and Doppler stepped down onto the cobblestones.

"Thank you, men," he said. "Just unload the cargo there – carefully, of course – and I'll take it from here."

"Right you are, sir." The boss nodded. "You heard him, lads!"

Doppler looked up as one of the ship's sentries approached him and tried to remember where he had put the pass that had got them into the dockyard. Finally locating it in a pocket of his coat and wondering what had possessed him to put it in there, he waved it frantically. The marine scanned it briefly before nodding and handing it back.

"Carry on, doctor."

"Er, yes, thank you." Doppler folded the paper away again and looked up the gangplank. It was hard not to think of the last time he had boarded a ship, when he had led young Jim Hawkins up the gangplank to the RLS _Legacy_ for the start of their journey to Treasure Planet. Though this time there was no such adventure in prospect – or at least he hoped not – the moment had not lost its sense of possibility, of freedom, of casting off land-based concerns and of stepping into the tumult and glory of the universe. He took a deep breath and set his foot on the narrow timber path. It was proof of his excitement that his precious cargo, the focus of so much of his attention for so many hours, was forgotten until he was halfway up the gangplank. Whirling around, he looked back to the dockside where the large crate was being unloaded and manhandled to the ground by the hauler crew and a team of spacers. For a moment, he considered calling out instructions or another injunction to be careful, but then he realised that such an unexpected intrusion could easily break the concentration of the handlers and cause the very disaster he sought to avoid. Restraining himself, he turned again and made his way up to the waiting ship. His appearance at the top of the gangplank attracted some curious glances from the crew, but most were too busy with their duties to pay much attention. The deck was a hive of activity, spacers hurrying to and fro stowing supplies or preparing equipment. Waiting for a suitable moment, Doppler dropped off the gangplank onto the quarterdeck. Remembering his strict instructions from Amelia, he turned to the raised bridge platform and gave a slight bow towards it even though everyone on it seemed to be busily occupied, before he coughed to clear his throat.

"Um...I say, permission to come aboard?"

"Permission granted." A young officer, a midshipman by the white patches on his uniform collar, stepped forward. "Midshipman Collis at your service. Are you Mr Doppler?"

"I'm Doctor Doppler, yes." Doppler frowned, accentuating his title and drawing himself up to his full height.

"We've been told to expect you," said Collis. "But you'd best report to the bridge, sir. Just up there, sir," he added, a touch redundantly, as he pointed.

"Oh? Very well. I'll go at once."

Stepping onto the timbers of the bridge, he saw a familiar felinid figure in an officer's high-collared uniform working at one of the ship's consoles and nervously made his approach. The sound of his footsteps made the officer look up from her work and for a moment Doppler feared that he had intruded, but then a warm smile greeted him.

"Ah, Doctor Doppler." Lieutenant Aurora Mayflower stepped away from the console. "I was wondering when we'd have the pleasure of your company."

"Yes, well, I do apologise for being late," Doppler said quickly. "There was a delay with unloading my equipment at the cargo docks, and of course I wanted to supervise the exercise. And then it took quite some time to get here. The traffic was...rather intense..."

"Naturally." Aurora smiled. "And no doubt you'll be eager to install your equipment on board. We'll have the foredeck cleared in time, don't you worry."

"I have every confidence in you." Doppler smiled. Aurora was a felinid some years younger than Amelia, with distinctive mustard and white-coloured fur and black stripes. A mane of pure blonde hair was barely kept in check by her cocked hat and her lilac eyes were quick and intelligent. The young officer was Amelia's trusted Flag-lieutenant, a personal aide, and Doppler had developed an appreciation for her care and devotion to Amelia which, he suspected, was in its way at least equal to his own. Aurora grinned as she accepted his compliment with a nod of thanks.

"You flatter me, doctor. Have you any dunnage of your own?"

"You mean my luggage?" Doppler nodded. "It's coming over with the equipment now. Or so I hope, anyway."

"Very good. We'll have it taken to your cabin at soon as it arrives." Aurora picked up a clipboard and made a note on it. "The Admiral has instructed me to attend your arrangements personally."

"I'm very glad to hear it." Doppler smiled. "When do you think you'll be able to bring my equipment on board?"

"Not now, I'm afraid," said Aurora. "We could make the space for it on the deck, but as you can see we're still rather busy stowing our own supplies. I wouldn't want you to have brought your equipment so far only for it to be damaged at the last moment by an errant barrel. It'll be perfectly safe and stable on the docks in the meantime."

Impatience almost led Doppler to commit the cardinal sin of arguing with an officer, but the logic of the proposal was so clear that he found himself nodding before he even found the words to agree.

"Of course. That...would be acceptable."

"And once we're in space, I'd be happy to give you a tour of the ship," Aurora went on. "I'm afraid I'm rather busy at the moment."

"I quite understand," Doppler nodded. "Carry on, please. I'll try to keep out of your way."

Aurora smiled her thanks and turned back to her work. Along with her responsibilities to Amelia, the young lieutenant was also the flagship's principal navigator and would need to check and double-check the careful calculations that plotted the ship's course into space.

"Bridge! The Admiral's coming off, ma'am!"

A shout from Collis made Aurora and the other officers look up from their work. Doppler, his heart skipping in anticipation, leaned on the siderail and looked along the dock. A solar carriage was approaching from the direction of Admiralty House. Aurora joined him, raising a telescope briefly to her eye.

"That's her, all right," she said. "Mr Collis! Pass the word for the Captain and get the quarterdeck clear! Mr Pike, call all officers! Muster the sideboys! Major Tansley, parade your marines! Move smartly, now!"

As the deck burst into an even greater bustle of activity, Doppler watched the carriage as it drew up on the dock next to the ship. It was a rich blue, flying a white pennant, and bore the Imperial crest on its door. The driver, a red-coated marine, dismounted and went to open the door. Doppler couldn't help his heart rate increasing as Amelia stepped out, acknowledging the driver's salute and those of the sentries at the gangway. She was resplendent in her blue dress coat and Doppler caught a flash of the red silk sash that was one of her badges of rank.

"Look lively, now! Sideboys in line! Bosun, stand by to pipe on command!" A Benbonian officer in a Captain's uniform had emerged from below decks and was clearly taking command of the reception arrangements. The other officers hurried up to the bridge and stood in a neat line at the rail overlooking the quarterdeck in order of rank. Aurora, as Amelia's aide, was the sole exception, standing at the head of the stairs in order to be close to her Admiral when she came aboard, and she waved Doppler over to join her. Red-coated marines were falling-in to a neat formation under the watchful eye of a marine officer and a grey-furred felinid Sergeant-Major. Amelia was halfway up the gangway by the time the crew were in position. The Captain barked an order for silence, and nodded to the bosun and his mates, who were standing ready with their silver whistles.

"Silence in the ranks! Pipes at the ready!"

In accordance with strict tradition, the bosun's pipes began sounding their keening call as Amelia's head drew level with the main deck as she ascended the gangplank and cut off as her heel met the quarterdeck.

"Admiral on the deck! Present arms!"

As one, the crew snapped to attention, Aurora and the other officers offering crisp salutes. Doppler, somewhat uncomfortable at this show of military precision and feeling rather conspicuous in his old burgundy coat, tried to straighten his ascot and stand a bit taller. Amelia looked around for a moment in the taut silence that followed, her eyes alert and appraising as they took in every detail, before she nodded and returned the salute.

"Carry on," she said simply.

The Captain turned on his heel and raised his voice again. "All hands, dismiss! Back to work!"

Amelia mounted the steps to the bridge. Doppler caught her eyes as she came, seeing a flash of happy recognition as she saw him. Aurora touched her hat respectfully.

"Good afternoon, ma'am."

"And good afternoon to you, Ms Mayflower." Amelia returned the gesture. "And to you as well, doctor. Welcome on board."

"I'm very glad to be here." Doppler smiled.

"I trust that arrangements are being made to have your equipment brought on board?"

"Yes, ma'am," Aurora stepped forward. "Once the foredeck is clear."

"Very good. And how long will that be? Flag-Captain Rennier?"

Rennier, the Benbonian officer, who Doppler now saw wore a silver-edged monocle over his left eye, shrugged.

"We've got more than half the stores below decks already, ma'am. If we work through the centre and aft hatches only, we could have the foredeck cleared within half the hour."

"Will using only two hatches delay our departure?" Amelia raised an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't do, ma'am. The forwards holds are mostly filled already anyway."

"Excellent. Then you may proceed. Bring the doctor's equipment on board as soon as possible."

"Aye, ma'am."

"Er, but do be careful with it," Doppler raised a hand.

Amelia grinned. "Indeed."

"We'll take all caution, ma'am," said Rennier.

Amelia nodded her thanks. "In that case, captain, I leave it in your capable hands. All officers, there will be a pre-departure briefing in my day cabin at 1430 hours. Doctor Doppler, would you do us the honour of attending?"

"Of course," Doppler nodded.

"Will that sufficient time to take care of your preparations? Navigator?" Amelia glanced at Aurora, who nodded.

"Yes, ma'am. Our departure trajectory is set."

"Very good. 1430, then, ladies and gentlemen." Amelia smiled. "Carry on."

* * *

Amelia's stateroom on the _Lyonesse_ was an order of magnitude more impressive than the one she had occupied on the Legacy. Doppler gazed around the room in awe at the smooth white timbers. A large desk was set in front of the wide gallery windows that looked out through the ship's stern, and a long oak table was set in front of it with enough chairs for the entire complement of officers to gather in conference. A portrait of the Queen, framed in gold, hung on the wall to oversee proceedings. It was only after spending several long moments staring around the room that Doppler realised that Amelia had been going around the table and introducing her officers. He hastily dragged his attention back to the matter at hand and scrambled through his unconscious memory to recover as much of the introductions as he could.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen," Amelia said, apparently oblivious to her husband's unpreparedness, "some of you are no doubt wondering why we have a civilian on board and are clearing the quarterdeck. I trust that this little lecture will assist you. Carry on, doctor."

"Thank you, Admiral." Doppler stepped forward, clearing his throat and hoping that he sounded serious and knowledgeable. Though he was sure that everyone on board knew of his relationship with Amelia, he maintained her own use of formal address in order not to diminish her authority by appearing to be over-familiar with someone of her exalted rank. "First, I'd like to express my sincere gratitude for being allowed to bring my experiment on board this fine vessel. I'm sure that we'll all be able to work together to make it a famous success."

"I'm pleased to have your confidence, doctor," said the Katydian officer. "But I'm not yet any the wiser."

Doppler coughed and caught a glimmer of amusement in Amelia's gaze as she watched him. "Yes, well. As you know...or may not know, the University of Montressor has been participating in a cooperative scientific undertaking that we like to call SIRIUS, short for Spectral Imagery Research for the Integrated Understanding of Stars. You see, in order to truly understand stars and the effect they have on the etherium, we need to gather as much data as possible. Fortunately for us, a remarkable event, quite literally once-in-a-lifetime, will shortly be taking place."

"And what's that?"

"A stellar conjunction," Doppler said. "Between the twin stars we call Kovis Binary, or the Kovis Twins, properly known individually as Kovis Alpha and Beta. Normally they orbit a common centre at a distance sufficient to preserve their independence, but a once-in-a-century orbital fluctuation will shortly bring them close enough for their gravitational fields to effect each other. It will produce what we call an astral bridge. Stellar material will be pulled from each star across to the other, mixing as it goes, and giving us a unique opportunity to look deep into the mass of the stars to determine their precise elemental constituency."

The officers listened politely but with little evident engagement. They were practical spacers whose knowledge of the etherium necessarily concentrated on the "what" side of things rather than the "why" in which a scientist like Doppler revelled. The exception was Aurora, whose specialist astronavigational training had inducted her into some of the mysteries of the theoretical universe and who was listening intently and with interest. Doppler sensed that most of the others had not really understood him, so he simplified his language and tried again.

"We'll be able to look inside the star and find out what it's made of," he said. "The equipment I've brought on board will help us do that. It's a spectroscopic telescope. That's why I need it mounted on the front of the ship, where it has a clear view."

"I trust that won't impede your work, Mr Constantine?" said Amelia.

The Katydian shook his head. "No, ma'am. No objections."

"I must admit to a certain curiosity," said a red-coated officer, whom Doppler recognised from the deck as being Major Tansley, the leader of the ship's Royal Marine contingent. "Why is this project – worthy as it sounds, doctor – worth the diversion of the flagship of Battlefleet Crescentia?"

"We have a scheduled sailing and a patrol route that takes us past the conjunction, Major," said Amelia. "And we're one of the few ships big enough."

"Indeed you are," Doppler smiled his thanks to Amelia. "You see, the measurements must be taken very precisely. The SIRIUS telescope must remain absolutely still to achieve maximum resolution. I need a solid, stable ship to do that."

"It's not just a question of size, either, Major Tansley," said Aurora. "_Lyonesse_ has a dynamic positioning system. One of the most advanced in the fleet. We can keep this ship within a foot or two of where she needs to be even with a headwind and the solar tide."

"As ever, then, I shall defer to my blue-coated colleagues when it comes to ship-handling." Tansley nodded and sat back, apparently satisfied.

"But," said Amelia, "don't think that this mission is a pleasure cruise, ladies and gentlemen. We are still a ship of war of Her Imperial Majesty's Royal Navy and we have a lot of new recruits on board. I intend to maintain a full schedule of training throughout the voyage. I want this crew of neophytes whipped into shape by the time we return."

"If I may, doctor," a female officer, whose name Doppler dimly remembered was Grath, leaned forward. "What is the ultimate purpose of this...SIRIUS project? What are the outcomes expected to be?"

"Well, um, to learn the composition of the interior of stars," Doppler hesitated before he went further – to a theoretical scientist such as himself, that explanation alone was sufficient yet he suspected that it would do little to impress a professional military officer. "It'll tell us about the kind of energy they put out and that could help in all sorts of ways. We could make more efficient solar sails, able to capture energy from a broader spectrum, for example."

He'd mentioned that to appeal to the audience's practical concerns, and it seemed to work. There was a general shifting of poses into a more positive aspect and some approving nods from officers who had previously maintained a sceptical attitude. Amelia seemed to sense the atmospheric shift as well and stepped forward, taking on a businesslike attitude and folding her hands behind her back.

"Thank you for your time, ladies and gentlemen. I'm sure that Dr Doppler will be happy to answer any further questions during the course of our voyage."

"Hm? Oh, yes. Yes, absolutely." Doppler nodded.

There was a knock on the door and Midshipman Collis stuck his head into the room, touching his forelock respectfully.

"If you'll pardon the interruption, ma'am, sir, but we've a green light from Crescentia Control. We're cleared for departure at our discretion."

"Very good, Mr Collis." Rennier nodded. "Carry on."

Doppler sensed a lightening of the atmosphere in the room at the news, as if the ship as well as the officers were pleased at the thought of soon being shed of the ties binding them to the spaceport. Even Amelia seemed to have a new light in her eyes as she nodded approvingly.

"So if there's no further business here," she smiled. "Let's get this creaking crate into the sky. Would you care to observe the launch, doctor?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Loose the headsails! Hands aloft to loose the topsails! Let go fore and aft!"

Captain Rennier's voice boomed out across the ship as he issued the orders that would cut them loose from their moorings at Crescentia. Doppler was standing with the officers on the bridge, watching how the captain's words prompted a flurry of activity, spacers racing nimbly through the rigging or heaving away at lengths of rope as thick as a man's arm.

"Heave up on the bracers!" Rennier shouted. "Brace up!"

The shell-shaped sails, brilliantly white against the blue of the late afternoon sky, unfurled like wings and billowed outwards as they caught the wind. The conducting web within them began shimmering as it absorbed the solar energy, indicator lights on the masts informing the officers of the power that was being fed to the ship's drives. Doppler could feel a slight vibration through the planks beneath his feet as the mighty engines awoke.

"Ventral thrusters, if you please, helm," said Rennier. "Take us up."

Doppler saw the dock slip away beneath them as the ship lifted clear. Mantabirds flocked around it as it rose away from Crescentia, calling in their raucous, musical voices. Turning his head, he saw Amelia standing erect, hands folded neatly behind her, face carefully impassive but eyes alert to every detail. He had already been thinking of the launch of the RLS _Legacy_, and the sight of her brought those memories back even more strongly. The sails fluttered in the wind until the spacers drew them tight and drew the lashings up.

"Clear two-forty, sir," said Aurora, who was standing at the ship's navigational console, watching the holographic displays. Rennier nodded.

"Very good, navigator. The helm is yours. Take us into space."

"Aye, sir." Aurora stepped forward. "Thrusters to neutral! Helm, bring the bow around northeast-by-north, heading zero-three-zero mark two. Engines ahead, one quarter."

"Zero-three-zero mark two zero, ahead one quarter, aye!" The helmsman echoed the commands as he carried them out, spinning the polished oak wheel. Amelia turned and walked across the bridge towards Doppler, watching the spacer carry out the order with an eagle eye.

"Heading confirmed, ma'am!" Aurora reported. "Engines engaging in three...two...one...mark!"

"Brace yourself, doctor," Amelia murmured to him with a wink.

Shifting his feet on the deck as he felt the ship accelerating, Doppler smiled ruefully as he remembered the last time he had ignored that advice. "Aye, aye, admiral."

"Level the azimuths!" Aurora called. "Full tops and steady on this course."

"Level, full tops and steady, aye!"

"Engines all ahead, cruising speed."

"All ahead cruising, aye!"

"Very good, navigator," Amelia said. "Is our course set?"

Aurora nodded. "Aye, ma'am. We'll hold this course for forty hours until we join the Gannic Route."

"Gannic Route?" Doppler asked.

"It's a trade route," Aurora explained. "It'll take us within a week's sail of the Kovis Twins. Then we'll have to turn to traverse wilderness space."

"Trade protection is part of our role," Amelia went on. "Might as well take the opportunity to show the flag in those parts. Close down from departure stations and commence the watch cycle, Flag-Captain," Amelia nodded to Rennier. "Then report to me in my cabin along with the Chief Engineer."

"Aye, Admiral."

"We've a few last-minute details to discuss about installing your telescope, doctor," Amelia smiled. "Once we're done, you'll be able to get to work."

Doppler nodded, knowing better than to push things to go faster. "Er, thank you."

"In the meantime, perhaps a tour of the ship since you'll be calling it home for the next few weeks?" Amelia glanced around at Aurora. "Flag-lieutenant?"

Aurora made a mark on a chart and nodded. "It would be my pleasure, ma'am. I'm not needed here until my watch begins."

"Excellent." Amelia gave a nod of thanks. "Carry on, then, everyone. You all know where you're supposed to be."

The officers dispersed to their stations if they were on watch, or below decks if they were not. After the excitement of the departure, the ship began settling into a more normal routine as spacers came down the rigging, leaving the sails open above them. Doppler looked behind them and was impressed at how small Crescentia was already, a shining crescent moon hanging in the distance as the swift-moving warship left it behind. His gaze was interrupted by a polite cough behind him as Aurora stepped forward to get his attention.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry." Doppler blinked.

"That's quite all right, doctor." Aurora grinned. "Shall we begin?"

* * *

"The _Lyonesse_ is the first of her line," Aurora said, as they left the bridge. "The newest capital ship in the fleet. The first ship that doesn't have to make a tradeoff between speed, firepower and protection, they say. She's 450 feet long and 60 feet in the beam with an astral displacement in the vicinity of 11,000 tons."

"She's certainly bigger than the _Legacy_," Doppler smiled.

Aurora laughed. "That's not the only difference, doctor. Please, follow me."

She led him the length of the main deck, telling him about the ventral and decks masts and the acreage of canvas they could spread to catch the wind and pointing out the mountings for the six carronades, stumpy, big-bore cannon that were woefully inaccurate at anything but close range but capable of mauling any target that came too near. Doppler ducked his head to follow her down the forward companionway to the gun deck. The ceiling was much lower overhead now, with the thick ribs of the ship now visible, partitioning the deck off into a number of bays. Here the crew moved methodically and carefully around the hunched, powerful shapes of the heavy guns that lined the sides of the ship. The ship creaked gently as it met the astral currents, running fast and free into deep space.

"This is the main battery," Aurora said. "Forty guns, twenty to each side. We can turn the four foremost guns to face directly ahead as bowchasers if we need to."

"They're, er, big," Doppler managed, stepping around one. The dull silver machinery had an almost palpable air of threat and menace.

"They're 110-pounder breech-loading rifles," said Aurora, with an air of amusement. "But it's the autoloaders that make the difference. The guns still have to be trained manually but the ammunition-handling is completely mechanised, which also means we can use heavier shells. We used to have ships with twice as many guns as this one, but the rapid fire the Lyonesse is capable of means that we could still outshoot them if it came to it."

"Well, I suppose that's comforting." Doppler nodded.

"The hull is twelve inches of star oak," Aurora went on. "Six inches either side of a layer of adamantine alloy. It gives us the same protection as two feet of oak for only two-thirds of the weight."

"Efficient," said Doppler, trying to keep up with the barrage of facts.

"The ship is built around a keel of Juraian timber, one long piece from stem to stern all cut from the same tree. And there's a double thickness of the alloy around the engine spaces and the main power distribution conduits," Aurora added. "You could blow almost all the hull off this ship and she'd still be able to fight back."

"Let's try not to put that one to the test," said Doppler. Aurora laughed.

"I pray not, doctor. Shall we proceed? The crew's berth deck is below us, and then I could show you the engine room."

"How many crew do you have?"

"Two hundred and sixty officers and spacers, plus Major Tansley's Royal Marine contingent," said Aurora promptly. "But don't worry, doctor, you've still got a cabin of your own aft. I had a desk moved in there for your work."

"And I'm most grateful for the fact," said Doppler.

"You're a guest of Her Imperial Majesty's Navy," grinned Aurora. "And let it never be said that the Navy is less than generous to its friends."

"Heaven forbid," said Doppler, grinning back.

"Officer on the deck!"

They had descended a flight of stairs to the berth deck. A watchful spacer had seen Aurora's uniform and called her comrades to attention, but Aurora waved them back.

"As you were, spacers. Carry on."

She began leading the way down the middle of the deck. Doppler tried to follow her, giving the occasional nervous smile to any spacer who happened to stare at him. The berth deck had a low ceiling but was well-lit with electric lanterns and open ports to let the daylight in. The crew slept in bunks, sturdily built and bolted firmly to the deck. Off-duty spacers were unpacking their belongings and stowing them as tidily as possible, or were sitting at folding tables between the bunks playing games or talking. In the confined space the noise was such that Doppler could barely hear Aurora's voice as she explained – he thought – about the galley and the ship's cooking facilities. Trying to concentrate, he tripped over a spacer's trunk and stumbled into a bunk with a cry of alarm. Aurora stopped and looked back at him.

"Doctor? Are you all right?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I just tripped a little bit, that's all."

Aurora saw the offending trunk and looked up at the spacer standing behind it severely. "Keep the centre aisle clear at all times, spacer. You know the regulations. What's your name?"

"Spacer Third Class Bushell, ma'am! Seventh Division!"

"Well, Mr Bushell, I'll be expecting more care from you in future."

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am." The young man looked sheepish.

"No harm done this time, Mr Bushell. Am I right, doctor?"

Doppler straightened his coat and nodded. "Absolutely."

"Very good, then. Carry on, Mr Bushell." Aurora turned her lilac gaze back to Doppler. "We have a large number of new spacers fresh from the recruiting depots on board, I'm afraid. But we'll shape them up soon enough. Shall we continue?"

"Um, actually, if it's all right," Doppler hesitated, trying to be polite. "Not that I'm not enjoying this tour, of course, but...if it would be all right I'd rather get up to the top deck and make sure that SIRIUS is all right."

Aurora smiled. "As you wish. We can always finish the tour later. I'm sure that the Admiral will put the engineering department at your disposal."

"I could do with the help," Doppler admitted.

"I'm sure you'll manage." Aurora smiled again. "Now, then, doctor...this way will probably be the fastest back up top."

* * *

Evening fell quickly, and Doppler soon found himself working by lamplight as he toiled to set up the telescope on the foredeck. A clear space had been made and a large metal platform bolted into the white timbers to serve as a solid foundation onto which the telescope fitted. The SIRIUS telescope itself – a large cylinder of brass and copper, dotted all over with lenses, wires, turning handles and other paraphernalia, sat horizontally in its cradle. A chair was attached to one side behind the eyepiece, under which Doppler was lying as he worked on a particularly inaccessible part of the device. A blueprint was open on the deck beside him and he sat up to consult it, accidentally banging his head against the telescope. He blinked back stars for a while and shook his head to clear it.

"Oh, dear...now, let's see here..."

He studied the plans intently for a moment before lying back and resuming his work. It was only a few moments before a polite cough interrupted him. He sat up again, repeating the mistake.

"Dang it all! Yes, what is it?" He rubbed his forehead and looked up at the intruder. The ship's junior lieutenant, who had been introduced to Doppler by the name of Pike, stepped back nervously.

"Er...sorry, sir. The Admiral sends her compliments and invites you to dinner with her in her quarters."

"Oh. I see." Doppler sat up hurriedly and looked at his grease-stained hands. "Um...can it wait a few moments? I'd better go and scrub up."

"As you wish, sir." Pike touched his hat. "I'll tell the Admiral that you'll be along directly."

"Thank you."

Pike vanished. Doppler wiped his hands on a rag, which he stuck absent-mindedly into his pocket, and folded away the blueprints. The prospect of dinner with Amelia was one worth looking forward to – in fact, he remembered, the last time they would have shared a meal on board a ship was on the voyage to Treasure Planet. He made his way back to his cabin to wash and change into new clothes as he realised ruefully just how far the grease from the telescope had penetrated. As a result, it was some time before he presented himself to the Royal Marine guard outside Amelia's cabin.

"State your business, sir," the young soldier said crisply.

Doppler was momentarily taken aback. "Er...dinner?"

"It's all right, private. Let him through."

Doppler turned at the sound of the voice and saw the Sergeant-Major of Marines walking over to them. She was a lanky felinid whom Doppler recognised as an old comrade of Amelia's. Sergeant-Major Ko was a few years older than his wife with grey and white fur and a prominent scar disfiguring the left side of her face. She was walking with the support of a cane, but this did nothing to diminish her authority and the sentry snapped smartly to attention at her command.

"Yes, sar'nt-major!"

Ko gave Doppler an apologetic shrug. "Sorry, doc. Half of my boys and girls here just came out of boot last week. They'll learn."

"I have no doubt," Doppler smiled. "Thank you."

"Not a problem. Take my respects to the Admiral, won't you?"

"Of course."

Ko nodded her thanks and glanced back to the sentry. "Carry on, private."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Doppler stepped across the threshold of the door that the guard had opened for him and was back in the opulence of Amelia's stateroom. Without the other officers there, the size of the space was even more apparent and Doppler almost wanted to shout to make sure that Amelia could hear him from where she was sitting at her desk.

"I'm sorry if I'm late. I thought it best that I scrub up before accepting your invitation."

Amelia, who had been scrutinising some paperwork, looked up at him and smiled. "Well, better late than never. I'm glad you could join me. You'd been so occupied by that contraption of yours that I was wondering whether I'd be able to tear you away."

"You'll never have difficulty convincing me to spend some time with you," Doppler smiled back.

Amelia laughed as she stood up. She had hung her heavy gold-encrusted uniform from the back of her chair, but she still wore a red silk sash that provided a brilliant contrast to her white waistcoat and shirt. Two places had been set at the end of the long conference table and a number of dishes waited for them under polished silver covers.

"I'm afraid I've dismissed my steward for the night," Amelia said. "We'll just have to muddle through by ourselves."

"I'm sure we can manage." Doppler smiled as he drew back Amelia's chair for her. She sat with a smile of thanks and reached out to take the lid off a bowl of soup. The smell struck Doppler even before he was able to sit down and uncover his own bowl. He sniffed the air appreciatively.

"I say, that's rather good!"

"Don't believe all of the rumours you hear about the Navy's rations," Amelia grinned. "And besides, there are some perks to flag rank."

"So I see." Doppler smiled. "Well, I must say that it's nice to share a meal with you again, whatever the comestibles on offer."

"It certainly is." Amelia smiled back across the table. "How long has it been?"

"Longer than I care to remember," said Doppler ruefully. "Between your duties and my getting caught up in the SIRIUS project it's been a little difficult to match up our schedules."

"One of the benefits of spacing is that you leave all those ground-bound problems behind," Amelia agreed, sipping her soup. "Though not, I realise, entirely in your case since you brought SIRIUS with you. I trust that there were no problems with the installation?"

Doppler shook his head. "No, no problems. Your engineers did a splendid job today. I'm about halfway done calibrating it, too. If all goes well, we may be able to run a test program on it by tomorrow afternoon."

"I'm pleased to hear it." Amelia said. "I wouldn't want this mission to be over before it began, after all."

"Which reminds me," Doppler smiled. "I think I owe you more thanks than I've given you for this. For letting me use your flagship for this research, I mean."

"Well, it seems to be the ideal vessel for the job," said Amelia. "And besides...you were right about our schedules lately. This seemed to be the only way to make sure that I got to see any of you."

Doppler reached across the table and took her hand gently. "I'm grateful for that reason, too."

Amelia smiled and patted his hand. "As am I. And I trust that you were able to make all the necessary arrangements at home before leaving?"

"The children are safe and sound with Mrs Hawkins," Doppler nodded. "I do hope they won't be too much of a handful for her, though."

"I'm sure she's more than capable." Amelia smiled sadly. "Though I do hate having to leave them...even if they're still too young to really know why."

"They'll understand one day," Doppler said reassuringly. "But I know what you mean. I don't like it either. If only there was a way I could have stayed back on Montressor..."

"Not for the first time, I find myself wondering whether we're parental material." Amelia sat back and put her empty soup bowl to one side.

"The fact that you're wondering that means that you probably are," Doppler said.

"I do hope so." Amelia looked downcast for a moment before she roused herself and leaned over to take the lid off another dish. "Ah, yes, I think you might like this. Fresh pasta from a Barellian merchant liner that came into port just this morning! Mr Simons was able to obtain a sack or two for my cabin supplies."

"Sorry?"

"My private steward," Amelia explained. "Aurora is splendid, of course, but cookery is not part of a Flag-lieutenant's job description."

"I was a little surprised that she wasn't here," said Doppler, helping himself to the main course.

"She'll be in the wardroom," said Amelia. "It's a tradition on the first night of a voyage for the officers to invite the ship's captain to dinner."

"But you're not there?"

Amelia smiled kindly. "I think you've forgotten, my dear. I'm not a captain any more. Flag officers are a species apart. Which is, of course, all the more reason to be glad that you're here, otherwise I'd be dining alone."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't want that," Doppler smiled back. "So what do they do at this traditional first night dinner?"

"Offer up hopes for a safe and timely voyage," said Amelia. "And the Naval toast, of course. As it's Friday, I believe it should be, 'a willing foe and room to steer' tonight."

"I could quite happily do without the willing foe," Doppler remarked.

Amelia laughed. "Yes, I hope that particular tradition won't need invoking. So how about we try something else?"

Doppler picked up his glass and smiled. "To scientists and spacefarers?"

Amelia laughed again. "I rather like that one, yes."

"I'm glad you approve."

"Very much." Amelia touched his glass with hers. "After all, scientists and spacefarers do seem to be a good match..."

* * *

"_Action stations! Action stations! All hands to action stations!"_

Doppler awoke with a start, sitting up so sharply that he caused a cascade of books and papers to fall from his small bedside table. The ship's klaxon was howling and the corridor outside his room was filled with running feet and shouted orders. Above the wail of the siren, Captain Rennier's voice came over the loudspeakers again.

"_Action stations! Action stations! All hands to action stations!"_

Doppler tumbled out of bed and fumbled for his shoes and his spectacles. Fortunately he had fallen asleep more or less fully dressed. He threw on his burgundy coat and hopped around the room for a moment as he tried to jam his shoe on and tried to catch up with what was happening. The urgency of the alarm seemed real enough and he wondered whether the ship was under attack. Finally ready, he opened his cabin door cautiously and looked out, hoping that he wouldn't be bowled over by a hurrying spacer. Nobody else was in sight in the narrow corridor that ran through the officer's quarters, but a door to another cabin suddenly opened and Lieutenant Pike dashed out.

"What's happening?" Doppler called, raising his voice above the klaxon.

"I don't know!" Pike adjusted the ride of the sword he had buckled onto his hip. "But you'd better get to the bridge, doctor!"

"Er, yes. Yes, of course." Doppler watched the young officer hurry off towards the gun deck and turned his mind to determining the quickest way up on deck. As a supernumerary, his action station was on the bridge, mainly, he suspected, to make sure that he was somewhere he could be seen and was unlikely to touch anything regrettable. He hastened up a flight of stairs onto the deck, almost colliding with a column of marines as they jogged past him.

"Move yourselves! Move! The enemy won't wait for you!" Sergeant-Major Ko was following them, her cane tucked under her arm as she herded them towards the forecastle. Spacers were racing up and down the rigging, and the shouts of officers and petty officers cut the air. The sound of the klaxon below decks was more bearable up here and Doppler ran breathlessly up the stairs to the bridge. Amelia was there, pacing to and fro, while Rennier was standing at the rail, holding small brass devices in their hands. Aurora was busy at the ship's main console, her face illuminated by the holographic displays, Midshipman Collis and Lieutenant Grath by her side.

"Damage control parties report ready fore and aft, ma'am," she said.

"Very good, navigator." Amelia didn't stop her pacing.

Doppler looked around the ship and then raised his eyes to scan the sky around them. As far as he could see in the early morning light, there was no enemy in sight. It had been four days since they had left Crescentia and two days since they had joined the Gannic trade route. A few white dots here and there in the distant ether hinted at the presence of merchant ships, but there was no immediate threat that he could see.

"Fire control status, Master Gunner," Amelia said.

Constantine, standing at his own console, was frowning in concentration. "All crews at stations and all circuits connected, ma'am. But I've got a red light on the bow shell hoist."

"Clear it," Amelia's voice was curt. "Major Tansley?"

The marine commander saluted as he hurried up to the bridge. "All my lads are in position, ma'am."

"Very good. Stations below?"

"Engineering reports ready, ma'am," said Grath. "Magazines manned and sealed. Ship's surgeon reports sick bay is standing by."

Doppler looked at Amelia again, desperately wishing he could go to her and ask what was happening, but she was clearly preoccupied by whatever emergency was overtaking the ship. Even so, her keen eyes remained attentive to every detail unfolding on the deck of her flagship. She frowned and turned sharply, raising her voice.

"Mr Constantine! The breech operator on the port bow carronade is not attending to his duty! I want his name!"

"All internal bulkheads read closed, ma'am," said Aurora. "Power distribution steady at one zero zero."

"How's that shell hoist, Mr Constantine?" Rennier asked.

"Cleared and cycling, sir!" Constantine reported. "Board is green!"

Rennier turned to Amelia and touched his hat.

"The ship is at action stations, Admiral. All systems functional."

"Time?" Amelia raised an eyebrow.

Rennier clicked the device in his hand, which Doppler could now see was a stopwatch. He scrutinised the display for a moment before replying to Amelia.

"Six minutes, fifty four seconds, ma'am," he said.

"Not good enough, Captain," Amelia shook her head. "Not nearly good enough. I want a four in front of those numbers by the time we get back to port."

"Aye, ma'am. We've still time to whip these lubbers into shape." Rennier nodded.

"Stand the crew down, if you please." Amelia nodded to him. "And Mr Constantine? Talk to Chief Engineer Vendross and see about getting a crew to inspect that shell hoist. I don't want it pulling that trick on us when we do this for real."

"Yes, Admiral!"

"For real?" Doppler blinked. "You mean this was just..."

"A drill, doctor. Practice." Amelia nodded. "We have a new crew on board. They have much to learn."

Doppler sighed and ran a hand through his tousled hair, which he hadn't even had time to draw back into his customary tail. "I don't suppose you'd care to give me some warning next time?"

"That would rather defeat the purpose of the exercise, now, wouldn't it?" Amelia smiled kindly. "I apologise for the inconvenience, doctor. Perhaps some breakfast would help to make amends?"

Doppler smiled wryly. "I suppose it would, yes."

"Then would you care to meet me in my cabin in, shall we say, fifteen minutes?" Amelia grinned. "That should give you enough time to dress properly.

"Dress properly? Oh..." Doppler looked down and realised that he had put on his coat inside out. Looking up, Amelia caught his eye and winked. He grinned back and pulled off the coat.

"Well...I'll just go and...and do that, then. Yes."

* * *

By the time Doppler arrived in Amelia's grand stateroom, the crew had gone back about their business and the atmosphere of the ship was a good deal more relaxed. As he closed the door behind him, he saw that three places had been set at the long table and his sensitive nose quickly detected the smell of eggs and bacon somewhere nearby. Aurora was standing by the table in conversation with the ship's chief surgeon, a tall Macropodian in a long white coat. The conversation was unusual in seeming to be entirely one-sided, with Aurora doing all the talking, until Doppler realised that the doctor was mutely writing her responses on a notepad.

"Ah, good morning, Doctor." Aurora caught sight of him. "The Admiral will be with us shortly. In the meantime, I assume that you remember Surgeon-Commander Gray?"

"I'm hardly likely to forget the doctor who delivered our children." Doppler smiled at the Macropodian, who merely gave him an economical nod of recognition in return. Doppler thought about extending a hand, but thought better of it. Surgeon-Commander Eleanor Gray was an old comrade of Amelia's, but Doppler had never felt quite at ease in her stern, silent presence.

"Um…I trust that there's no medical emergency on board?" he said, trying to make conversation.

Gray shook her head, but seemed disinclined to offer further enlightenment. Doppler held her gaze for a moment before he looked away awkwardly. Aurora took pity on him.

"There's tea and coffee on the sideboard if you like," she said. "The Admiral's steward will be bringing in breakfast for us."

"Us?" Doppler looked surprised.

"The Admiral has me take breakfast with her every now and then," Aurora said. "I may be the ship's navigator, but I'm still her Flag-lieutenant, and it helps to stay on top of business."

"Of course." Doppler smiled at how Aurora still referred to Amelia by her rank even when she wasn't in earshot. He went to the sideboard, where a samovar of bright silver and gold was sitting by a rack of cups, saucers and glass bottles of tea leaves and coffee. He chose a cup and was filling it with hot water by the time the cabin door opened again and Amelia stepped through.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," she said. "Ah, doctor. Good to see you."

It took Doppler a moment to realise that his wife hadn't been addressing him, but had been speaking to Gray. The surgeon nodded cordially and passed Amelia a sheet of paper, which she read closely.

"I see. And this is all?"

Gray nodded.

"Do they require isolation?"

Gray shook her head.

Amelia nodded. "Very good, then. Carry on."

Gray touched her forelock in salute, glanced at Aurora and Doppler, and left the cabin, her heavy tail bumping on the door coaming. Doppler relaxed as the door closed behind her. Amelia smiled at him and made her way to the head of the table.

"Do sit down, you two," she said. "You must be hungry."

"Is there anything the matter?" Doppler asked as he took his seat. "I mean, with Dr Gray here, I thought…"

"It's one of the many paradoxes of spacing," said Amelia, "But a ship is never so unhealthy as when it first leaves port. We've got scores of people all packed on board. It doesn't take much for a common cold to run riot in the first few days of a voyage. Once it passes, funnily enough, a well-run ship is extraordinarily healthy because it has no contact with anyone or anything that could introduce new illnesses on board. But those first few days need to be managed."

"Ah? Well, I suppose that makes sense."

"So I had Dr Gray conduct a survey of the crew. There are a few minor cases that have spread among the crew, but nothing serious and nothing that would require us to turn back." Amelia took a cup of tea proffered by Aurora with a smile. "All is well, I'm glad to say."

"And I'm glad to hear it," Doppler said. "Er…is there anything else I should know about?"

"Only to enjoy the fresh fruit and vegetables while they last," Amelia said. "We can only carry a few days' worth of fresh food even on this ship. Speaking of which…"

A door, discreetly white-panelled to blend into the walls of the room, opened and a spacer emerged carrying a tray on which plates had been neatly arranged. With steps as deft as any waiter in a high-class restaurant, he placed serves of eggs and bacon in front of Aurora and Doppler and a bowl of muesli in front of Amelia and stood back.

"Will there be anything further, Admiral?" he asked.

"Not at present, Mr Simons." Amelia shook her head. "Carry on."

Simons nodded and left the room quietly. The food smelled enticing, but Doppler politely waited for Amelia to begin before he picked up his own knife and fork.

"I trust that your installation is going to plan?" Amelia asked. "You mentioned calibration tests today."

"Yes, if all goes well." Doppler nodded. "I'll just need to make a few exposures and run them through the spectral analyser."

"Excellent." Amelia smiled.

"Your engineers have been most helpful connecting it to the ship's power grid," said Doppler. "I was rather worried about having to do that myself."

"Why is that, doctor?" asked Aurora politely.

Doppler coughed and looked down at his plate. Amelia grinned.

"Let's just say that the question, 'how many astrophysicists does it take to change a light bulb?' has an answer somewhere in excess of one."

"Oh, I see." Aurora smiled. "Well, I suppose it's a good thing that you're on board with us, then."

"Quite so." Doppler agreed. "The Navy is certainly better-organised than the university."

"I'll take that as a compliment," said Amelia. "And we're still on schedule, are we not, Ms Mayflower?"

Aurora nodded. "That we are, ma'am. The solar wind is a little weaker than we anticipated but we've run up new sails and charged the engine capacitors to compensate."

"Very good." Amelia took a sip of tea.

"Can I expect any more...exercises like this morning's?" Doppler asked nervously.

Amelia gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm afraid so, doctor, yes. This is a flagship, after all. If you're engaged in some particularly sensitive research, I can arrange for you to be exempted from the drill."

Doppler looked relieved. "Thank you. That would be appreciated."

"Although I must insist that you remember where your station is in the event of an emergency," Amelia went on. "I can't have you being a liability to yourself."

"I understand." Doppler nodded. "I promise I won't let you down."

"I have every confidence in you." Amelia smiled. "Now. Any communications from the ethernet?"

Aurora picked up a few sheets of paper. "Nothing much, ma'am. Just housekeeping, really. The RLS _Plenitude_ has resupplied the outpost at Port Duncan and is returning to Crescentia. The repairs on Pier 144 are commencing as planned. Nothing that affects us out here."

"Indeed not." Amelia sighed happily. "I won't lie and say that I'm disappointed. The paperwork was always my least favourite part of the job."

"I can believe that," said Doppler. "I did always think it strange to see you working behind a desk and not in space."

"The price of flag rank." Amelia smiled sadly. "Which makes me even happier to take advantage of situations like this when I can get into the sky again."

"You seem to manage it all very well," said Doppler chivalrously.

"I have an excellent aide." Amelia gestured at Aurora, who smiled modestly.

"I'm proud to be of service, ma'am."

There was a knock on the door. Amelia put down her knife and fork and stood up.

"Enter!"

Midshipman Collis stepped inside and touched his hat. "Captain Rennier's respects, ma'am, but you're needed on the bridge."

"What is it, Mr Collis?"

"A ship in distress, ma'am. Or so we think."

"Very well. My compliments to Captain Rennier, and I'll be there directly."

"Aye, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am." Collis vanished.

Amelia smiled at Doppler and Aurora. "It seems that we may have a small diversion on our hands. With any luck, it won't interfere with our plans."

"No, no, it's quite all right." Doppler said. "I just hope it's nothing serious."

"Let's find out, shall we?" Amelia stood up. "Navigator?"

"Coming, ma'am." Aurora stood as well.

"Er..." Doppler put his napkin aside nervously. Amelia smiled.

"Yes, Delbert. You, too."


	3. Chapter 3

There was a tenseness on the bridge that Doppler felt as soon as he mounted the stairs following Amelia and Aurora. The officers and spacers awaiting them looked poised and alert, gazing intently at their instruments or peering through telescopes looking ahead. There was a small dark shape off to starboard, heading towards them.

"Report," said Amelia crisply.

Rennier touched his hat. "We've sighted a ship cutting across the trade route, ma'am. Four points off the starboard bow. She looks to be drifting out of control."

Amelia took a telescope offered to her by Lieutenant Grath and put it to her eye. "Have they signalled for assistance?"

"No, ma'am. No signals."

"Then how can you be sure they're in trouble?" asked Doppler.

"See for yourself, doctor." Amelia handed him the telescope. Doppler raised it and focused it on the distant shape. As the magnifying lens adjusted, he saw the blurry object resolve itself into a ship. Around it was a drifting cloud of debris. Even Doppler could see that the ship's masts were broken and fallen, a single shredded sail flying out behind the hulk like a ragged comet tail.

"My goodness..." he murmured. "Whatever could have happened?"

Amelia was already giving her orders. "Bring the crew to stations. Alert the sick bay to assemble a medical team on deck and prepare to receive casualties. Muster a boarding party and prepare a longboat for immediate launch."

"Aye, ma'am!"

"Do we have a plot on that ship?" Amelia looked across to Constantine, who was at the fire controls.

"She'll cross the Gannic Route half a mile ahead of us, ma'am," he said. "She's maintaining course and speed."

"Increase our speed and put us on an intercept course," Amelia turned to Aurora. "We'll turn parallel once we're aboard of them. Is there any danger to the hull or sails from that debris?"

"Not if we're going at the same relative velocity," said Doppler automatically.

"I concur, ma'am," said Aurora.

Amelia grinned at him. "Your astronomical advice comes in handy once again, doctor. Very well. Match speed and bring us in close aboard, navigator."

"Aye, ma'am." Aurora's hands danced across the navigational console. "Increasing speed one-sixth and preparing to come about."

"Signal that ship to report status," Amelia had folded her hands behind her back and was observing the drifter as it came closer. The larger pieces of debris orbiting it could now be seen with the naked eye. "Flags and lights. Report any response."

Lieutenant Pike saluted and hurried off, calling out orders. Doppler joined Amelia and peered through the telescope again. The mysterious ship was close enough now that he could make out details on its deck, but he couldn't make out any figures moving on it. It was clearly a merchant ship, not much more than half the length of the _Lyonesse_ though rather broader in the beam.

"I don't see anyone," he said, offering the glass to Amelia. "How can that be?"

"We're about to find out." Amelia said, scanning the ship for herself. "Mr Constantine! Do you see those marks on her hull?"

"Yes, ma'am." Constantine was looking through his own telescope. "It looks like blast damage to me. Shell strikes."

"What does that mean?" Doppler looked at him. The Katydian master gunner looked grim.

"It's battle damage, doctor," he said. "It means that she was attacked."

"By whom? Pirates?" Doppler scanned the sky as if expecting to see one.

"Let's not speculate too soon," Amelia clicked her telescope closed. "Captain Rennier?"

"Boarding party assembled, ma'am," said Rennier. "Longboat 1 is ready for launch."

"Thank you, Flag-Captain. Stand by." Amelia watched the approaching ship keenly. "Mr Pike?"

"No response to our signals, ma'am!" Pike reported.

"Helm! Begin your turn!" Aurora's voice rang out. "Bring us eight-two degrees to port, turn rate one-zero mark zero."

"Eight-two port, one-zero mark zero, aye!" The spacer at the helm began turning the wheel slowly. The ship's bows began swinging almost immediately, bringing the _Lyonesse_ slowly onto a course that would see her alongside the drifting cripple. Doppler watched the range counting down and then turned his attention back to the other ship. It was close enough now to read the name on her sterncastle – _Advent Trader_ – but there was still no sign of life on her shattered decks. He dragged his attention back to their own ship and saw Amelia descending to the main deck where the boarding party was gathered, a dozen spacers standing by a longboat which had been hoisted and hung outboard on a crane under the command of a Midshipman called Delane. A small group of white-coated medical staff were among them, and Doppler recognised the long-eared figure of Surgeon-Commander Gray at their head. Amelia saw her too and gave her a familiar nod as she joined her.

"You know you're the ship's chief medical officer now," Amelia grinned at her old friend. "You don't have to join every boarding party personally."

Gray wrinkled her nose and wrote a reply. NEITHER DO YOU, ADMIRAL.

Amelia laughed. "Yes, fair point..."

Doppler hurried up to her. "Ame- I mean, Admiral? Are you going to go to that ship?"

"That was my plan, yes." Amelia nodded. "Don't tell me you're surprised?"

Doppler thought for a moment and smiled. "You know, actually I'm not."

"You're welcome to join us, of course," said Amelia. She looked at the _Advent Trader_ as they drew alongside it, nudging aside some of the debris that had been orbiting the damage ship.

"We're steady on this course, ma'am!" Aurora called from the bridge.

"Very good!" Amelia acknowledged. "Boarding party to the longboat! Prepare for launch!"

Doppler scrambled up into the stern of the boat and moved aside to make room for Amelia. She sprang on board and nodded to the Petty Officer at the helm.

"Very good, Mr Turnbull. Take us off."

"Aye, ma'am." The man gripped the control lever. "Steady, lads! Hang on!"

Doppler felt his stomach drop as the longboat sprang free of its restraints and lurched up, free of the _Lyonesse_'s gravity field. It was a short ride across to the crippled ship, but he kept a tight grip on the gunwale anyway and did his best not to look over the side at the yawning gulf of space that opened up beneath them. Amelia's eyes were bright and alert as the wind toyed with her hair and Doppler found himself again reflecting on the fact that he wasn't quite as daring a spacer as he'd once fancied himself.

"Mr Delane?" Amelia prompted.

"Stand by for arrival!" Delane called. "Ready at the bows!"

Two spacers stood up in the front of the longboat, a coiled rope between them. They cast it onto the deck of the stricken vessel as the longboat descended to hover just above the main deck. A shouted command from Delane sent the spacers scrambling over the side, where they seized the rope and made it fast around an intact section of the _Advent Trader'_'s side rail. Gray nodded to her medics and followed them. Amelia stood and stepped gracefully down from the boat as it landed with a gentle thud. Doppler, realising that he'd been holding his breath for some time, exhaled and followed her. The spacers had taken up position in a semicircle around the longboat and the medical team. Doppler looked up to the ship's deserted bridge and frowned.

"Not much of a welcome," he commented.

"Indeed not." Amelia stepped forward. "Ahoy there, _Advent Trader_!"

There was no reply. Amelia glanced around at Gray, who was looking grim.

"Very well, Mr Delane." Amelia said. "Search parties fore and aft, if you please. You as well, Surgeon-Commander."

"Aye, aye, Admiral!" Delane saluted. "Evens, forward with me! Odds aft with Mr Turnbull."

"You heard the officer, spacers!" Turnbull roared. "Move!"

"Would you care to accompany me to the bridge, doctor?" Amelia smiled.

"If I may," Doppler smiled.

He followed her up the stairs, casting glances over his shoulder. The _Lyonesse_ was cruising a short distance off to port, and Doppler couldn't help but feel better for her presence. The _Advent Trader_'s bridge was typical for a merchantman, with only a handful of small, simple consoles and nothing like the sophistication of the flagship. Amelia was standing at one of them, tapping at the controls and looking serious.

"Amelia?" With nobody else around, Doppler felt able to address her more informally. She sighed and shook her head.

"Nothing much doing here, I'm afraid. The ship's a wreck. I can't even raise the most basic systems. There's barely enough power to maintain the artificial gravity."

"But we're still safe?"

"She's not about to explode, if that's what you mean," Amelia smiled.

Doppler nodded and looked at the ship's wheel. Then he looked again, just to be sure.

"Er...Amelia? Do you see this?"

Amelia joined him and looked at the wheel. It took her a moment to see it as well. A simple wooden wedge, driven between the column and the spokes, was preventing the wheel from turning.

"Well, well," Amelia murmured. "There was I trying to be all clever by looking up the computer and you've stumbled across this..."

"What could it mean?" Doppler looked at her.

Amelia shrugged. "It could be nothing. A small ship like this with a small crew on a long-distance voyage...they'd have a limited number of hands to keep watch. Once they were set on their heading they might set up something like this as a kind of autopilot."

"But..." Doppler said, sensing the unspoken question in Amelia's words.

"But perhaps not." She raised an eyebrow. "It does seem strange that they wouldn't have been able to remove it when they came under attack. It may all have happened quickly, but surely not _that_ quickly..."

"So you're sure they came under attack?"

Amelia nodded and gestured around them. "Mainmast down, broken by shellfire. Impact damage on the hull. You can even see hits from small arms fire around the bridge. There, you see?"

Doppler noticed the small scorch marks on the consoles. "Yes, you're right. But-"

"Admiral!"

Petty Officer Turnbull was calling up to her from the main deck. Amelia gave Doppler an apologetic look and stepped forward.

"What is it, Mr Turnbull?"

"We've found the crew, ma'am! You'd...you'd better come and see."

* * *

Doppler followed Amelia from the bridge and into the ship's accommodations in the stern. It was dark and low-ceilinged, but a strange scent assailed his nose as soon as he stepped inside.

"What in space is that?" he sniffed.

Amelia said nothing. Her face was grim. There was a group of spacers standing outside what would once have been the captain's cabin. Commander Gray was waiting for them. Amelia glanced at her.

"Survivors?"

Gray shook her head. The spacers stood back as Amelia approached them, giving her access to the door. She looked inside and Dopper caught a hiss of breath.

"This is all of them?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," said Turnbull. "There was nobody in the bows or the holds."

Doppler looked past Amelia and gasped in shock.

"Good grief..."

The small room was filled with bodies. There wasn't an inch of floor exposed beneath the awful pile. A man was sprawled over the map table. Another was propped up in a chair nearby. The scent that he had detected, the scent of blood as he now realised, was overwhelming. He pulled out an handkerchief and clutched it over his nose.

"What...what happened here?" he gasped.

Gray handed him a piece of paper. AT LEAST TWO GRENADES. AND LASLOCK FIRE AT POINT BLANK RANGE.

"They were killed?"

"The word is 'executed'," said Amelia darkly. "Whoever attacked the ship herded them in here, tossed grenades through the door and then came in and shot whoever was still alive."

"But why? Who would do such a thing?"

"You searched the cargo hold, Mr Turnbull?" Amelia didn't reply directly.

Turnbull nodded. "Aye, ma'am. All empty."

"Pirates?" Doppler said.

"Indeed." Amelia nodded. "Is there any indication of what she was carrying?"

"Not that I could find, ma'am. There might be an inventory on board somewhere, but..."

Amelia nodded again, taking in the corpse-choked room again. "Yes, yes, I see. We'll make arrangements to clear this room and conduct a proper search. Dr Gray?"

THERE SHOULD BE NO PROBLEMS WITH THAT. Gray agreed. CAUSE OF DEATH IS OBVIOUS IN ALL CASES SO THERE IS NO REASON NOT TO MOVE THEM.

Amelia couldn't help a wry smile at that understated remark. "Quite so."

THERE'S ONE MORE THING. Gray held up her notepad as Amelia prepared to leave. I FOUND A NOTE AMONG THE BODIES.

"Yes?"

Gray produced a scrap of paper from her pocket and handed it over. Amelia took it. Doppler watched her face as she read it. Only someone as familiar with her moods as he was could have seen the flicker in her eyes as she kept her expression carefully blank and handed it back.

"Thank you, surgeon-commander. Has anyone else seen that?"

Gray shook her head. Amelia nodded.

"Very good, then. Carry on."

She left, striding past the assembled spacers and medics. Doppler stepped out into the corridor and stared after her.

"What was all that about?"

Gray looked at him for a moment and then handed the note over. Doppler looked down at it. It was a short note, consisting of only two words.

_Tell Amelia_.

* * *

"We appear to have ourselves a situation, ladies and gentlemen," said Amelia.

Back on the _Lyonesse_, she had called a small gathering in her stateroom. Doppler stood in front of her desk along with Captain Rennier and Aurora.

"I agree, ma'am," said Rennier. "A pirate on the loose."

"More than a pirate," muttered Doppler. "They're murderers."

"It is an extreme event, ma'am," said Aurora. "Pirate attacks don't usually cause so much...collateral damage."

"Are you sure?" Doppler looked surprised.

"Pirates are after cargoes and valuables," said Amelia, "They tend not to take much interest in the crews of the ships they attack...unless they want them as hostages, but that's only more reason to keep them alive. To slaughter an entire crew like that would be...unusual."

"Why would they do it, then?" said Rennier. "To destroy any evidence?"

"Yes, but-" Doppler was about to mention the note that Dr Gray had shown him, but a glance from Amelia told him not to.

"Perhaps," said Amelia. "But then there's the sabotaged steering you found, doctor. If the attackers set that up, they must have done it knowing that it would bring the _Advent Trader_ across the Gannic Route. One of the busiest shipping route in the Empire. There'd be a better than even chance that the ship would be intercepted, as it was. If they wanted to just destroy the evidence, they'd have scuttled her after they took her."

"You're right, of course, ma'am," Rennier nodded. "Do we know when the attack took place?"

"Surgeon-Commander Gray assesses that it was no more than a fortnight ago," said Aurora.

"Well, that should tell you _where_ it happened as well," said Doppler. "Assuming that the ship's speed was constant, and knowing that the direction couldn't have changed because of the wheel being jammed, we should be able to estimate roughly where the ship was attacked."

"Very good, doctor," Amelia smiled. "Lieutenant?"

Aurora nodded. "I agree, ma'am. With your permission?"

Amelia waved at the main table. "Please proceed."

"Thank you, ma'am," Aurora touched her forelock. "Perhaps you could assist me, doctor?"

"Of course." Doppler followed her to the main table, watching as she touched a small control that caused a section of polished oak to flip over and reveal a compact console. Holographic displays flickered into life in the air above the table as Aurora began her calculations.

"How did you know about how long the crew had been dead?" asked Doppler.

"Hmm? Oh, Dr Gray told me." Aurora looked up from the keyboard.

"Did she mention anything about...anything else?" Doppler glanced back at Amelia, hoping she hadn't overheard.

"No. Why do you ask?" Aurora blinked.

Doppler shook his head. "Oh, nothing, nothing..."

"Doctor." Aurora touched his sleeve. "If there's something you think I should know about...for the Admiral's sake..."

"I know." Doppler patted her hand in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "It's all right. What value are you using for the astral drift?"

"Just the cosmological standard," Aurora said, watching his face carefully. "I'm not aware of any major disturbances in this area that might have changed that in the last fortnight."

"Nor am I. Good." Doppler nodded. Aurora stared at him for a moment longer, but he had turned his face to the glittering holographic chart displays, the light of which was reflected in his glasses rendering it impossible for her to read his dark eyes. She gave up and returned to her work.

"What shall we do with the hulk, ma'am?" Rennier asked.

Amelia, who had been watched Doppler and Aurora closely, dragged her attention back to him. "Your pardon, Flag-Captain?"

"The hulk of the _Advent Trader,_ ma'am," said Rennier. "What shall we do with it?"

"Destroy it," said Amelia. "We're arranging for the bodies to be brought over for examination. Unless Mr Vendross and his engineers can coax something out of her computer cores, there's nothing further we could learn from her once the search is completed. And we can hardly leave her drifting out here in the middle of the Gannic Route."

"Aye, ma'am. I'll have Mr Constantine prepare scuttling charges." Rennier nodded.

"Standard incendiaries should do the business." Amelia stood up. "As for the dead...well, we'll have to see. I want to at least learn their identities so that we can inform their families."

"Very good, ma'am."

Amelia joined Doppler and Aurora at the table. "Well?"

"Parameters entered, ma'am," Aurora said. "We'll have the plot in just a moment."

"She was attacked around here." Doppler leaned over the table and pointed to a spot in the three-dimensional map that appeared to be completely empty. Aurora stared at him with surprise, which became a look of genuine admiration as the computer caught up and drew a bright green line across the chart to the point marked by his finger.

"I concur with the doctor, ma'am," she grinned.

Doppler coughed modestly. "Well...it was rather elementary mental arithmetic..."

"For an astrophysicist, perhaps," Aurora smiled and turned her attention to the map. "If Dr Gray is right about the time of death, ma'am, it looks like the attack took place in wilderness space, well off the normal trade routes."

"What would a merchant ship have been doing there?" Doppler frowned.

"Taking a short cut, maybe," Aurora shrugged.

"That's not even in this sector," said Rennier, joining them. "That's over the border into Circe Sector."

"Shall we alter course, ma'am?" said Aurora.

Amelia shook her head. "No. We can't go intruding into another sector like that. Battlefleet Circe is going to have to handle this one. Prepare a message to Vice-Admiral Hesilrige at Circe Sector Command. Tell him that there's a rabid wolf on the loose in his henhouse and it needs putting down."

"As you wish, ma'am."

"We're not going to investigate?" said Doppler.

"The Naval sectors exist for a reason, doctor," said Rennier. "If we all went off over our boundaries chasing every pirate attack there'd be chaos. We'll pass on everything we know to our colleagues in Battlefleet Circe and continue our mission."

"Your project is safe for now," Amelia smiled. "You'll make your date with the Kovis stars as planned. Or so I trust, lieutenant?"

Aurora nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Even with this diversion we're still on schedule."

"Very good." Amelia stepped back. "Thank you for your counsel, everyone. You're dismissed. Keep me informed of the progress of the search, Flag-Captain. And find out what you can about the _Advent _Trader."

Rennier touched his hat. "Aye, aye, Admiral."

"Thank you, ma'am." Aurora saluted as well and followed the Benbonian from the room. Doppler lingered behind, watching Amelia as she returned to her desk and pulled a file of paper towards herself. She opened it, picked up a pen and was about to begin reading it when she looked up.

"You're still here, Delbert."

"Um, yes." Doppler stood in front of her desk, wringing his hand nervously. "I was just wondering..."

"Yes?"

"...well...about that note on the ship." Doppler looked up at her. "I mean...'Tell Amelia'? That sounds like someone's trying to tell you something."

Amelia put her pen down. "Dr Gray showed it to you?"

Doppler nodded. Amelia sighed.

"That wilful woman...well, I can't say I'm surprised. Obviously she didn't trust me to tell you."

"Was she right?" Doppler raised an eyebrow. "I noticed that you didn't tell Captain Rennier about it just now."

Amelia narrowed her eyes. "What of it? Would knowledge of that note have changed your calculations at all?"

"Well, no, but-"

"The attack took place in Circe Sector," Amelia said. "That puts it beyond my jurisdiction as Sector Commander Crescentia. Admiral Hesilrige would go straight to the First Star Lord if I began poking my nose into his sector's business, and rightly so."

"But it was aimed at you!" Doppler said. "It must have been! Whoever it was...they wanted you to find out about it. Maybe they even knew that you'd be here to intercept the ship!"

"Nonsense. We didn't even have a course plotted a week ago," Amelia snapped. "It's impossible that anyone could have anticipated our being here at just the right moment."

"But even so...a note addressed to you? Even if another ship found it, they'd have passed it on to you eventually." Doppler sighed. "But why, Amelia? What message would be worth committing such a horrible crime?"

"I don't know." Amelia's shoulders sagged as she admitted it. "And that's why I didn't mention it."

"Do you have any idea who it might have been?"

Amelia shook her head. "Well...no. Not really. There are pirates in Circe Sector, just like anywhere else. And Circe does have a frontier facing Procyon space."

"You think the Procyons might have done it?" Doppler's eyes widened.

"No. You can say what you like about those untrustworthy scoundrels, and I could say plenty, but...piracy isn't their style." Amelia shook her head. "And if they were trying to send the Empire a message, they'd make it loud and clear. This isn't Procyon astro-politicking...this is personal."

"Whom do you suspect?"

Amelia shook her head. "Like I said, Delbert, I don't know. I've got old enemies...old and new. It's hard to be a low profile Sector Commander in a place like Crescentia. I sent a task force to clear some marauders out of the Ajax Reef three months ago. The chairman of the Green Star Shipping Line wrote me a very rude letter about the time I had one of his liners stopped and searched on its maiden voyage a month before that, threatening to raise the matter with the Imperial Parliament. I had an officer court-martialled recently as well because it turned out that he was stealing from his crew's pay."

"I never knew about that," said Doppler, surprised. "You don't think any of that's related, do you?"

"Of course not. The Ajax Reef marauders were just a few local thugs with longboats who turned tail as soon as they saw our ships coming for them. The Green Star's chairman is a pompous oaf, but not a murderer. And the officer I had court-martialled is still serving time at Her Majesty's pleasure. As for why you didn't know...I don't tell you everything that I do," Amelia sighed. "It would take too long and I fear it would bore you. But it's all part of a flag officer's duties."

"I wouldn't mind hearing." Doppler stepped closer and put his hand on her desk. "I'm your husband, Amelia. How can I support you like I should if I don't know what's going on?"

Amelia gave him a sad smile and took his hand in hers. "And you're right, of course...especially now when you're here to experience it all with me."

"You can trust me," said Doppler. "You know that, don't you?"

Amelia looked up and met his dark, soft eyes. She smiled. "Of course, Delbert. With all my heart, I know it."

Doppler smiled back. He leaned down towards her to kiss her, but a knock on the door interrupted their reverie. He stood back sharply and pretended to be studying the holographic charts instead. Amelia gave him a wink of commiseration and stood up.

"Enter!'

Midshipman Delane stepped in and touched his hat. "With your pardon, ma'am, all the bodies have been brought over and the search party has returned. We're standing by to commence scuttling."

"Thank you, Mr Delane. Take my compliments to Mr Constantine and tell him to begin the operation. I'll be on deck presently."

* * *

They towed the hulk of the _Advent Trader_ a safe distance from the Gannic Route before it was scuttled. Explosive charges were placed throughout the wrecked merchantman and detonated once the _Lyonesse_ had withdrawn a short way. The flames billowed out of the shattered hull, consuming it from bow to stern. Once it was clear that the wreck was well alight, Rennier gave the order to resume their course, and the big flagship had turned back to the trade route, opened her sails and accelerated away. Doppler stood at the stern, watching the distant ember of the _Advent Trader _as the all-consuming fires died away, lost in thought until he noticed a presence by his side.

"Ms Mayflower! You startled me." He hurriedly stepped back, adjusting his ascot. "Did...did you need something?"

Aurora smiled at his awkwardness. "I apologise for the intrusion, doctor."

"No intrusion at all. No intrusion. I was just...thinking." Doppler looked back at the distant, burning ship.

"So I saw." Aurora glanced over her shoulder. "May I speak in confidence, doctor?"

Doppler blinked. "Um, yes...yes, of course you can."

"What did you find on that ship?"

The directness of the question took her by surprise. "Pardon? Oh, well...the crew were all dead...someone had sabotaged the wheel to keep it pointing in this direction...there had obviously been a lot of shooting...there was no cargo found."

"I know. There wouldn't be." Aurora shook her head. "There was no cargo manifest, or at least none we could find, but the boarding party reported that the stowage tackle was all secured in the holds. Which means that she was running empty. She'd probably just completed a delivery when she was attacked."

"So there wasn't even anything to steal..." Doppler murmured.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said, so there wasn't even anything to steal," Doppler said. "Which makes it even stranger that pirates would attack her, unless-"

"Yes?"

Doppler stopped himself just in time. "Er...unless nothing..."

Aurora raised an eyebrow and Doppler became uncomfortably aware that her lilac eyes were capable of exactly the same kind of soul-penetrating stare as Amelia's emerald ones were – the kind of look that made Doppler suspect that his thoughts were being read in bright letters across the inside of the back of his head. He shifted nervously.

"So...er..."

"You found something else, didn't you?" Aurora said. "Not just the crew, or the wheel...there was something about Amelia."

"Did Dr Gray tell you?"

"No. She said I should ask you." Aurora stepped closer to him. "Doctor, please...I'm her Flag-Lieutenant. I owe her. She hand-picked me out of a hundred other candidates, some of them much more senior. It's my job to serve the Admiral. I can't do that unless I know what I need to know."

Doppler was momentarily struck by the similarity of that comment to his earlier one to Amelia about being her husband. "No...I suppose not."

"I wouldn't normally dream of going behind her back like this-" Aurora began.

"I know," Doppler nodded. "And she trusts you."

"Which is why whatever you tell me will be in absolute confidence," Aurora went on. "The Admiral won't find out. Not from me. But if there's anything that I should know about..."

"There...there was a note." Doppler said quietly. "Dr Gray found it among the dead bodies. It said, 'Tell Amelia.'"

"Tell Amelia...what?" Aurora looked puzzled.

Doppler sighed. "Exactly. I don't know. More worryingly, neither does she. But whoever attacked that ship did it to send her a message. Oh, I know that they attacked it in Circe Sector and not here, but they set the ship on a course that they knew meant that she'd find out about it eventually."

"I see." Aurora looked back at the distant flame of the _Advent Trader_.

"She didn't mention it to the Captain because she isn't sure what it means yet," Doppler went on. "And...I don't think she wants you to know about it, either. She didn't even want _me_ to know about it. I only know because Dr Gray showed it to me."

Aurora smiled. "That doesn't surprise me. The Admiral doesn't like admitting to not knowing about something important. And she doesn't like making the people she cares about worry on her behalf either."

Doppler nodded wryly. "That sounds exactly like her."

"Well. I suppose there's not much more we can do about it for now." Aurora stepped away from the railing and smoothed down the front of her uniform. She looked up at Doppler and gave him a small but genuine smile. "Thank you for telling me, doctor. I appreciate your honesty."

"I care about Amelia," Doppler smiled back. "And I know that you do, too. I'm glad that there are two of us looking out for her."

"Maybe more than two." Aurora glanced tellingly over Doppler's shoulder. He looked around in time to see Dr Gray and Sergeant-Major Ko walking together onto the stern deck. The surgeon looked up and saw them. Her expression didn't change as Aurora touched her hat to her, but Doppler felt sure that she had made some kind of acknowledgement.

"Anyway, I'd best get back to my duties." Aurora said. "If you'll excuse me, doctor."

"Of course, lieutenant." Doppler hesitated. "Although...if we're to be working together...you can probably call me Delbert."

"I'm not sure that the Admiral would approve of that." Aurora smiled. "But thank you anyway."

Doppler laughed. "Perhaps you're right."

Aurora grinned and touched her hat. "Good day, then, doctor."

She left. Gray and Ko joined Doppler as he resumed his gazing back over the ship's wake.

"Is it all right, doc?" Ko asked.

Doppler hesitated, noting the specificity of the question. He caught a knowing glance from Gray, who nodded very slightly. He understood and smiled with relief.

"Yes, sergeant. It's all right. I told her."


	4. Chapter 4

An intermittent crackle of laslock fire echoed across the foredeck of the _Lyonesse_ as she powered through space, followed by a triumphant whoop. Doppler looked up from the eyepiece of the SIRIUS telescope in mild annoyance. There was a squad of marines at the rail behind him, practising firing against a target drone that was bobbing fifty metres away alongside them.

"Quiet, there!" Sergeant-Major Ko's voice cut across the celebration. "One hit out of three doesn't make you a sharpshooter! Private Baines, you're up! Charge and load!"

"Yes, sergeant!"

Doppler looked around as a skinny, pale-faced youth took his place at the railing and aimed his laslock at the target drone.

"Ready!"

Ko nodded. "Three rounds rapid, private! Fire!"

Doppler flinched as the laslock cracked. He tried to concentrate on the SIRIUS telescope, but failed as Ko's parade-ground bark rang out across the deck again.

"None for three! Are you sure you passed boot, Private Baines? You're sure you didn't stow away on this ship?"

"Yes, ma'am! It's just..." Baines hesitated. "The target in boot wasn't bobbing about, ma'am. And neither was I."

"No excuse! You're Royal Marines, not damned muddy-footed Imperial Army! You're soldiers and spacers too! Private Walsh, you do remember our motto, don't you?"

Another of the red-coated soldiers snapped to attention. "_Per Terram, Per Astra_, sergeant-major!"

"Correct, Private! By land and by stars! If you can't shoot straight from the deck of a ship then you joined the wrong service."

"I do hope their drill isn't distracting you." Amelia appeared behind Doppler, watching the group with faint amusement.

Doppler smiled ruefully. "To be honest, I have worked in quieter observatories."

"I'm sorry." Amelia looked down at him sympathetically. "I'd offer to postpone it, but I'm afraid they have a training regimen to adhere to."

"I understand." Doppler snapped shut the cover over the SIRIUS eyepiece. "Oh, well. My observations will have to wait until nightfall anyway."

"I'm glad it's not too much of an inconvenience." Amelia said. "But speaking of observing, would you like to join me?"

"Pardon?" Doppler blinked and then hastened after her as she strode over to join the marines. Ko saw her coming and called her squad to attention.

"Officer present!"

"As you were," Amelia returned her salute. "All proceeding satisfactorily here?"

"Not yet, ma'am, but it will." Ko nodded. "Once they get their space legs, they'll figure it out."

"Figure what out?" Doppler joined them.

"Basic space marksmanship, doctor." Ko pointed at the target drone. "Three hits on that target."

"Three?" Doppler looked out at it. The drone was a simple bronze rocket with a white round target on one side. "Is that all?"

A couple of the marines muttered under their breaths. Ko glared.

"Silence, there!"

"You seem to have some doubters, doctor." Amelia grinned. "Would you care to put them straight?"

Doppler laughed nervously. "I wouldn't want to show off..."

"Tish-tosh." Amelia stepped forward. "A moment, if you please, sergeant-major?"

"Ma'am?" Ko saluted.

"The good doctor here will give your troops a little demonstration." Amelia smiled. "You there. Baines, was it?"

"Y-yes, ma'am!" The young marine stammered at being directly addressed by a flag officer.

"Weapon, please, private." Amelia held out a hand. It took Baines a moment to realise what she was asking for. He snapped to attention and handed over his laslock rifle. Amelia took it, inspected it briefly, and handed it to Doppler.

"There you are, doctor. You may fire when ready."

Doppler took the rifle self-consciously and shifted it to sit more comfortably in his hands. He looked over at the target and raised the weapon to his shoulder as he took aim.

"Your safety catch is still on, sir," said Ko. "That switch just there by your thumb."

Doppler disengaged the catch, blushing hotly, and took aim again. Amelia glanced sideways at the young marines, noting the looks of condescending amusement most of them wore at the sight of the awkward civilian scientist hefting the brass and steel laslock. She suspected that she was the only one who could see into his mind, where she knew the wheels would be spinning, calculating ranges, shot-drop, astral drift, ether resistance and a dozen other variables too esoteric for most people to have even heard of and which certainly weren't taught in boot camp.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, ma'am?" Ko whispered.

Amelia saw Doppler's finger begin to tighten on the trigger, and smiled. "Watch this, sergeant."

The rifle cracked, sending a stinging blue bolt of energy streaking across space. It struck the target drone dead centre. Two more followed it a second later. There was a moment's silence from the assembled marines, which Ko broke with an appreciative whistle.

"Not bad shooting, doc. Not bad at all."

"Er, well, thank you." Doppler lowered the rifle, a little embarrassed as the soldiers gave him a small round of applause.

"Wish I'd had someone who can shoot like that with me on more than one occasion," Ko said, before raising her voice. "Right, my little lads! This civilian here just put you all to shame and showed you how it's done! Take your positions, and let's do it again until you get it right!"

Doppler handed the rifle back to Baines. "Thank you."

"No problem, sir." Baines said, in a voice not totally devoid of admiration. "Any time."

"Even so, we'll try not to make a habit of it." Amelia turned to Ko and nodded. "Carry on, Sergeant-Major."

"Aye, Admiral. I'll have this lot up to scratch by the noon watch, don't you worry." Ko touched her hat. Amelia returned the salute and began walking away with Doppler.

"I do hope you didn't mind that little exercise," she smiled.

"Not at all. I'm just flattered that you have faith in me." Doppler looked over his shoulder as rifle fire started up again. "It's been a whiile since the last time you handed me a weapon."

"It hardly showed." Amelia chuckled. "Perhaps we should include astrophysics in our basic marksmanship training."

"I suppose it couldn't hurt." Doppler said. "And I have to admit, the distraction was rather welcome."

"Your work is not progressing?"

"Well, the telescope works," said Doppler. "I got the first resolutions yesterday. It seems to working across all of the basic spectra. I was hoping to try some of the more advanced settings tonight."

"How will you know if it works?"

"Well, it might be a little difficult while we're in the shipping lane," Doppler admitted. "On some settings, the telescope can pick up the ionised trails left by ships. So there are signals all over the place here. A lot of false readings."

"Ah? Well, I'm afraid we can't leave the Gannic Route," said Amelia. "Not until we turn towards the Kovis Twins, at any rate."

"I know. It's all right." Doppler smiled reassuringly as they reached the bridge stairs. "I'll just apply some filters. They need testing as well."

"You know where to turn if you need any assistance," said Amelia. "Ah, Mr Constantine. Just who I needed to see."

Constantine, who was standing on watch behind the main console, touched his hat respectfully. "Ma'am?"

"I want to bring forward the first set of gunnery exercises," Amelia said. "Would you be in a position to conduct them this afternoon?"

Constantine frowned. "Well...yes, ma'am, if needs be."

"Gunnery practice?" Doppler raised a hand. "I'm sorry, but is that...I mean, would you be firing the guns?"

"Not during the first set, sir," said Constantine. "We'd just be using practice shells. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I assume that firing the guns would cause some vibration in the hull," Doppler said. "Some of the more sensitive components of the SIRIUS telescope may not react too well..."

"This is still a ship of war, doctor," Amelia pointed out. "I can't sacrifice crew training."

"No, no, I understand..." Doppler sighed. "Perhaps I could ask Commander Vendross to fashion some kind of cushioning for the base plate..."

"We're not scheduled to begin the live-fire exercises until next week," said Constantine. "Unless you're looking to advance those as well, Admiral?"

"I am," Amelia affirmed.

Constantine scratched the base of one of his antennae. "We could drill the crews on the after guns only. That would minimise the recoil vibrations at the bow where the doctor's instrument is."

"Would that be satisfactory, doctor?" Amelia looked back at him.

Doppler hesitated. "Er...well, I'm not sure. It would certainly help."

"Very well. Make it so." Amelia nodded to Constantine and turned to leave. Doppler caught her by the sleeve.

"May I have a word with you, Admiral? In private?"

Amelia looked up and saw the expression of concern on his face. "Of course, doctor. We'll confer in my cabin."

* * *

"You seem concerned." Amelia closed the door behind them as they stepped into the stateroom's luxurious surroundings.

"I'm sorry, but...yes." Doppler clasped his hands together. "You seem...rather...well..."

"Out with it, Delbert," Amelia smiled.

"Well, rather hurried." Doppler smiled apologetically. "All these drills...I know you said that it's a new crew and you have to get them into shape, and I appreciate that. I really do. But you had it all planned out and now you're bringing things forward, doing things quickly..."

"It's my prerogative," Amelia said, a warning note creeping into her tone.

"I know, I know, but..." Doppler looked up and saw the hardness in her eyes.

"I'll do everything I can to reduce the impact on your research," Amelia said. "But you must understand, doctor. This ship's primary purpose is to defend this sector. If there's a pirate on the loose..."

"The pirate isn't in the sector, though," Doppler reminded her. "And you said it wasn't your business. Isn't that true?"

"Of course it's true." Amelia narrowed her eyes. "What are you suggesting?"

Doppler, gathering up his courage, stepped closer. "Well...is it because you're worried that the pirate won't stay in Circe Sector? That they'll come here? That they'll come after you? That note-"

"Enough about the damned note!" Amelia snapped. "Gray should never have shown it to you."

"But that's what it is, isn't it?" Doppler insisted.

"So what if it is?" Amelia stalked past him towards her desk. "You saw what they did to the _Advent Trader_, Delbert. I don't want that happening in my sector. Not if I can prevent it."

"Which is understandable. Not to mention commendable." Doppler moved to stand in front of her as she sat down. "But..."

"We're still on course." Amelia said. "We'll get you to the Twins in time. But I will have this ship readied for action, too. The pirate who attacked the _Advent Trader_, the pirate who left that note...if he crosses into my territory, I want to be ready."

"I understand." Doppler sighed. "And I take your word that you won't let it interrupt my research. Although..."

"Yes?"

"You referred to the pirate as 'he' just now." Doppler raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "Not 'they'. Does that mean that you know who it is?"

Amelia cursed herself for the inadvertent slip. For all his own difficulty with words, her husband could be surprisingly acute in his observations.

"No. I don't know."

"But you suspect?"

Amelia held his gaze for a moment before she looked away. She stood up and turned to look out of the gallery windows at the ship's wake.

"I suspect. Yes. Such ruthlessness is not common practice amongst pirates, but I've seen it before. A long time ago."

"When?"

"During the Nebula War. I was only a lieutenant at the time." Amelia took a deep breath. "My ship was guarding a convoy when one of the merchantmen disappeared. When we found it, it was already under attack. We forced the attacker to retreat, but as they did so, they opened fire on her. She was unarmed. Unprotected. And they tore her heart out right in front of us to make sure we couldn't pursue her."

"How awful..." Doppler shook his head. "So you think it's the same pirate?"

"I don't know." Amelia kept her face turned away from him.

"You may be right," said Doppler. "That note was addressed to you, after all. As if the pirate knows you. If they're an old enemy..."

"Or they could just be well-informed," Amelia pointed out. "Flag appointments aren't top secret. There's no way to know without more information. And I intend to find it."

"Where?"

Amelia walked to the centre table and called up the holographic map. "There's a waystation about a day's sail ahead of us. Saint Albert's Hope. A staging post operated by the Eastern Iridium Trading Company to service their ships along the Gannic Route, though other ships dock there as well. We may be able to learn something there. News travels fast along the shipping lanes. At the very least, we could make sure that any ships nearby know to be alert."

"That sounds promising." Doppler scratched his head. "Though..."

"It's not too far off the route, don't worry." Amelia smiled. "We'll get you to your stars on time, Delbert. I promise."

"And I've never known you to break your word." Doppler smiled back. "Thank you."

Amelia patted his hand and went to open the cabin door to speak to the sentry outside.

"Pass the word for my Flag-lieutenant, corporal. And for Captain Rennier as well, if you please."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Amelia turned back to Doppler. "Will there be anything further, doctor?"

Doppler noted the formal tone that had returned to her voice and took it as a signal that their private conversation was over. He shook his head.

"No, Admiral. That's all I wanted to discuss."

* * *

The diversion to the waystation came as welcome news to the ship's company. Spirits were high as the _Lyonesse_ altered course and powered away from the Gannic Route towards a distant cloud of planetoids.

"It's a break from all the drills and practice sessions," said Aurora, as she checked their new heading. "And the Company's outposts tend to offer good opportunities for trade or barter. If anyone on board is missing something, they're probably hoping to be able to obtain it there."

"I suppose I could do with an extra handkerchief or two," said Doppler, standing beside her.

Aurora laughed. "So much for exotic tastes."

Doppler chuckled. "Yes, I'm afraid I'm rather dull in that respect. Will we even have time for that sort of thing, though? Amelia – I mean, the Admiral – seems to be keen on pressing on."

"You can call her by her name to me, doctor, it's all right." Aurora smiled. "I think you're right, though. The crew may be about to be disappointed if they think they're going to have a chance to go ashore.

"Do you think we'll find anything out?"

"Maybe. Who knows?" Aurora shrugged. "The EITC keeps close eyes on all of its ships. And it won't just be the EITC there, either. Even rival shipping lines use their stations sometimes. So there'll be ships there from all over. No doubt at least one will have come from Circe Sector. They might have heard something."

"We can only hope so." Doppler looked ahead.

"Indeed. But if you don't mind me saying so, doctor, you don't seem very enthusiastic about it." Aurora looked up at him.

Doppler sighed and glanced over his shoulder to make sure nobody was listening. "Well...let's just say that I understand why Amelia wants to go there. But it wasn't on my itinerary."

"Try to treat it as a bit of a break," said Aurora. "It'll be a nice change from the ship's routine even if it doesn't last long."

Doppler grinned. "I've spent longer aboard ship than I have so far on this voyage."

"Ah, I remember. The Treasure Planet expedition." Aurora smiled. "The Admiral has told me all about it. You're tougher than you look, doctor."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Doppler said.

"I'm glad you can," Aurora grinned back. "Alas, my career to date has included nothing so memorable."

"You might have something to write home about before this voyage is over," Doppler said thoughtfully.

Aurora exhaled sadly and nodded. "Yes. That may be so."

Sensing a decline in her mood, Doppler changed the subject. "So...is there anything you'd be looking for at this waystation?"

"Oh, there are always things I wouldn't say no to, but nothing I'd go out of my way to find." Aurora shook her head. "I don't think I'll get the chance to go looking anyway. If I go ashore, it'll be with the Admiral."

"Yes. Of course." Doppler gave her a sympathetic look. "You know, I don't think I've really properly thanked you for looking out for Amelia the way you do. Being recalled to service and promoted so quickly came as quite a surprise to her. I don't know what she'd have done without you."

Aurora blushed modestly. "I could hardly have turned her down, doctor."

"Yes, but still...even when you're in space you're still doing it."

"It's not so bad." Aurora shrugged. "When we're at headquarters, I don't need to do any navigating. And when we're in space, there are far fewer meetings and documents to keep track of."

"There are some benefits, yes." Doppler agreed. "I don't miss having to teach at the university while I'm out here."

"I'm sure your students miss you," Aurora smiled fondly. "I'm sure you're a much better teacher than most of the ones I had at the Academy. I'm surprised that I passed basic astrophysics, let alone made the grade for Navigator training."

"I'm not surprised at all," said Doppler.

Aurora smiled shyly again. "You're too kind, doctor."

She checked the console one last time before she switched off the display and turned to face Lieutenant Pike, who arrived on the bridge and touched his hat.

"Afternoon watch reporting, Ms Mayflower."

Aurora returned the salute. "I stand relieved, Mr Pike. We're steady on course. You'll find all the details on the displays."

"There's still some lunch left in the wardroom, if you're interested," Pike said. "Although I'd hurry before Vendross and the engineers get there."

"Sound advice," said Aurora. "Would you like to come along, doctor? I'm sure we could make room for you."

Doppler shook his head. "No, no, I'd best get back to my cabin to review some of the observations from this morning."

"As you wish." Aurora touched her hat to him. "Good day, then, doctor."

Doppler left the bridge and headed for the companionway to take him below. As had become his habit, he cast a quick glance forward to check that the SIRIUS telescope was all right. It was sitting stowed in its cradle just as he'd left it, but a figure standing by the bows caught his attention. It was Amelia, her hands folded behind her back as she gazed ahead. For a moment, Doppler thought about joining her, but then he thought better of it. Shaking his head, he turned and went below.

* * *

Doppler had a transparent film unrolled on his desk. To the untrained eye, it looked as if oil had been spilled on the page, with patches and whorls of rainbow colour blending into each other apparently at random. He was measuring the colour bands with a small silver compass and noting the results on a piece of paper that was already covered with densely-written numbers in his spidery handwriting when the ship's loudspeakers crackled into life.

"_Action stations! Action stations! All hands to action stations!"_

Doppler sighed. Another drill? Still, he couldn't deny that it was a welcome distraction in its way. Glancing up at the cabin window, he could see that the colour of the etherium outside had dulled and changed to the burnished gold of evening. He must have lost track of time and worked through the afternoon. There was a cup of tea on his desk – stone cold – that he had no recollection of obtaining.

"_Action stations! Action stations!"_

Cursing himself for his absent-mindedness, he stood up, gathered his coat, checked that it was the right way around this time, and made his way out of the cabin towards the bridge. The crew were already well started on their race to their positions, and even Doppler could tell that they were doing it with greater sureness and alacrity than they had that first time the alarm had been sounded. Obviously all the practice was coming in handy. He arrived on the bridge and was about to nod casually to Captain Rennier when he noticed that there was a tension that hadn't been present before.

"The board is green, sir," Constantine turned to Rennier. "The ship is at action stations."

"Four minutes and forty seconds," Rennier nodded. "Thank you, Mr Constantine. We stand ready for your orders, Admiral."

Amelia was there, looking intense, a holstered sword at her side. She acknowledged Rennier and stepped forward.

"Very good, Flag-Captain. Lookouts aloft to report all contacts."

"Aye, ma'am."

Doppler crept across the bridge to join her. "What is it? What's going on? Have we arrived at the waystation?"

"That's precisely the problem," Amelia said. "See for yourself."

She handed him a telescope and pointed ahead of the ship, where a clutch of planetoids drifted in space. He raised the telescope and peered at them.

"I don't see anything," he said eventually. "Just some haze."

"Precisely," said Amelia. "No ships. No signals. And that's not haze. It's smoke."

"Smoke?" Doppler looked again.

"Yes. But we still can't get a clear view of it." Amelia turned. "Navigator!"

"Ma'am?" Aurora looked up from her console.

"Bring us in on a port arc. Cut speed to two-thirds as we enter the cluster but keep the engine capacitors charged for combat speed." Amelia took the telescope back from Doppler.

"Port arc, ahead two-thirds, aye." Aurora nodded.

"I wish we had a clearer view," Rennier muttered. "There could be anything in there."

"Keep your lookouts sharp and your batteries charged," Amelia said. "It's all we can do for now."

"Um, if I may," Doppler raised a hand. "If it's a clear view you need, my telescope might be able to see things yours can't."

"Ma'am?" Rennier hesitated, looking to Amelia. She smiled.

"He may have a point, Flag-Captain," she said. "Very well, doctor. Report forward and tell us what you can see."

"Aye, ma'am. I mean, right. Right." Doppler caught himself halfway through a nervous salute and hurried forward, pushing his way past spacers and marines on his way to the SIRIUS telescope. He climbed into the seat affixed to the side of its cradle and peered into the eyepiece as Sergeant-Major Ko directed two of her soldiers to drag the canvas cover from the aperture.

"Come on...come on..." Doppler watched the artificial colours bloom in the display as the telescope's filters began separating the visible and invisible light into constituent parts.

"What do you see, doctor?" Ko asked.

Doppler frowned in concentration. "I see traces of heat...and an usually high number of trace ozone readings."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, in simple terms, ozone is formed from breathable oxygen by ultraviolet light and the passage of powerful energy discharges," Doppler said. "And I'm detecting other trace readings as well...ion residue...acoustic shock patterns in the molecular substrates..."

"In Galactic, please, doc," Ko grinned.

"Weapons fire," Doppler looked up. "And explosions. Big ones. And lots of both."

"Weapons fire?" Ko narrowed her ice-blue eyes and glared ahead of the ship. "You'd best let the boss know."

"Right." Doppler stood up and hastened back to the bridge to give a brief report. Rennier and Amelia listened grimly.

"An engagement?" said Rennier. "We've received no word of any engagement here, ma'am. How old are these traces?"

"Well, it's hard to tell. I'd have to familiarise myself with the natural baseline readings for this area. But working from the cosmic standard background, I'd say perhaps two days. Maybe three. Not much more or less."

"Two or three days." Amelia crossed her arms. "Navigator?"

"Ma'am?" Aurora snapped to attention.

"As I recall, the _Advent Trader_ was attacked in Circe Sector a fortnight ago. Would there have been enough time for a raider to cover the distance from there to carry out an attack here so recently?"

Aurora nodded. "Yes, ma'am. If she came directly and maintained a high average speed."

"You think it's the same attacker, ma'am?" said Rennier.

"It's too much of a coincidence to be otherwise." Amelia stepped forward. "All lookouts to stay sharp. Load the guns with high-impact shells. If they're still here, I don't want to be caught by surprise."

"Aye, Admiral."

"We're coming up on the waystation, sir," Lieutenant Macpherson called.

Doppler turned his head to watch as the _Lyonesse_ crested a rise, soaring above one of the rugged planetoids, and obtained her first view of Saint Albert's Hope.

"Oh, my..."

"We're too late..." Amelia murmured.

The waystation was a ruin. A small town had been built across the upper surface of one of the flatter planetoids, centred around a tall stone lighthouse. Docks reached out like fingers from an open hand into space. But the few ships still at the docks were wrecks, listing and broken. A smoke haze hung over the town from a score of fires that still smouldered red among the ruins.

"It looks like you were right, doctor," said Aurora quietly.

Doppler nodded. "Yes...though I take no pleasure in that fact."

"Your orders, Admiral?" Rennier said.

"Are there any other ships in the vicinity?" Amelia asked.

Lieutenant Grath shook her head. "No, ma'am. All scopes clear."

"Then put us into orbit, Flag-Captain," said Amelia. "And assemble an armed landing party to search for survivors."

"Yes, ma'am." Rennier nodded. "Major Tansley? Muster your platoon on the quarterdeck. Mr Pike? Have your spacers prepare two longboats for launch and notify the sick bay."

"With your permission, Captain," Aurora stepped forward. "I'd like to volunteer for the landing party."

"Very good, Ms Mayflower." Rennier nodded. "Approved."

"I could come, too," Doppler offered.

Rennier shook his head. "I'm sorry, doctor. The _Advent Trader_ was one thing. This might still be an active area. Besides, I could use you back on that telescope of yours, helping us to make sure that nothing gets the drop on us."

Doppler thought about protesting, but a warning glance from Amelia told him to think again. "As you wish, Captain."

Amelia was already on the deck, supervising the preparation of the two longboats. Surgeon-Commander Gray joined her at the head of a small column of medical staff, giving her a glance that dared her to make a comment. Amelia only grinned.

"First squad! Second squad! Third squad! Form ranks and present for inspection!" Tansley was calling his red-coated troops to order. Thirty soldiers formed up into three neat ranks, which Ko was stalking up and down critically, inspecting weapons and equipment.

"Longboats ready, ma'am." Pike dropped down from one of the small vessels and touched his hat. Amelia nodded.

"Very good, Mr Pike. Spacers and medics! Embark!"

Doppler watched as the landing party boarded the longboats and then launched, curving away from the ship and beginning to descent to the planetoid below. He tried to follow the lead boat in which Amelia and Aurora were riding, but the ship was already climbing into a higher orbit and they soon disappeared out of sight below it. He heaved a sigh and released the ship's side rail, which he realised that he'd been holding onto tightly ever since Amelia had joined the landing party. Ko joined him sympathetically.

"Always hard watching them go, isn't it, doc?"

Doppler sighed again and nodded. "That it is. I'm surprised you're still here, though."

Ko held up her cane and pulled a rueful expression. "Those days are behind me now, more's the pity. I'm lucky to be on this ship at all. Normally I'm stuck planetside. If Doc Gray hadn't agreed to let me come to keep up the recruits' training, I'd still be at the barracks."

"What happened?"

"On my last ship, some damn fool dropped some live ammunition on the deck," said Ko. "The explosion threw me into the mast. They didn't set my back straight and...well, the rest is history."

"I see. I'm sorry." Doppler nodded. "That must be hard for you. I know how Amelia feels when she can't go into space."

"It's not been easy." Ko's face clouded for a moment. "But you do what you can. Even if you can't go with them, you can still help them."

Doppler looked up, his eyes being drawn past Ko to the SIRIUS telescope on the foredeck. "Yes...perhaps you're right..."

* * *

"Perimeter at ten metres! Move!"

Major Tansley had his platoon scrambling out of the longboats before they had even finished touching down, their thrusters kicking up a cloud of grey dust as they settled onto the surface of the planetoid. Aurora watched the mad scramble as the thirty soldiers, bayonets fixed, leapt over the side and hurried into position, forming a circle around the boats about twenty metres across, those close to the ruined buildings of St Albert's Hope taking cover behind them and those less fortunate kneeling, rifles raised and levelled.

"Spacers, disembark!" Amelia led the Navy contingent over the edge. Aurora stood up, checked the cutlass that rode on her hip, and followed, jumping the couple of feet to the gravelly surface below. Gray and her medical team were close behind her. Aurora scanned the area but saw an unnatural absence of movement. Even the smoke rising from the smouldering fires seemed sluggish and slow-motion.

"Landing area secure, Admiral," said Tansley.

"Thank you, Major." Amelia nodded. "Leave one squad here to guard the longboats. The rest will form search parties by fireteam. Medical team will follow up behind. Report all contacts."

"Right, ma'am."

As Tansley moved off, calling out his orders, Aurora joined Amelia and shook her head.

"I don't see anyone, ma'am. They would have seen us land, surely?"

"Only if there was anyone here," Amelia said grimly. "Remember the _Advent Trader_?"

Aurora felt a shiver run down her spine. "Yes, ma'am..."

"Search parties ready, ma'am," said Tansley, touching his hat.

"Move them out, Major." Amelia stepped forward. "You stick by me, Flag-lieutenant. And you as well, doctor."

Gray wrinkled her nose, but complied. Amelia saw with amusement that she had a laslock pistol stowed in a pocket of her white uniform coat and guessed that she had obtained it from Ko. Gray believed in practising medicine as close as possible to the front lines. Aurora drew her own pistol and checked the safety catch as she followed Amelia. With a handful of marines as close escort, they began picking their way through the ruins.

"It looks like the assailant bombarded the town," said Tansley, noting the craters that marked the ground.

"And then landed and burned what was left," Amelia pointed to a building that had suffered no blast damage but which was gutted by fire.

"It was heavy-calibre shelling," said Aurora, eyeing one of the craters. "And a lot of it. Pirates don't normally carry this kind of firepower. Or use it so indiscriminately. They've probably destroyed everything of value."

"That depends what they wanted to achieve." Amelia looked down. A charred corpse lay halfway through the door of the burned building. "I'm starting to wonder whether you're going to have any work here, doctor."

Gray nodded. I'M INCLINED TO AGREE.

"They've expended a lot of ammunition to do this," said Tansley. "Even though it looks like there can't have been much opposition."

"They must be well-supplied," said Aurora. "Far better than most pirates."

"I fear you're right." Amelia looked up as they stepped out into a paved square in front of the ruined lighthouse. There were the remains of what looked like barricades set up at the entrances to the streets which led to the etherfront, but all were in ruins. Bodies, most of them wearing the dark red battledress of the Eastern Iridium Trading Company's armed forces but more than a few in civilian dress, lay scattered here and there in a pattern which suggested a retreat towards the lighthouse. Aurora turned her head and saw the large Company flag which had once flown over the waystation from the lighthouse's pinnacle lying in tatters on the ground, weighted down at one corner by a pile of rubble. She tightened her grip on her pistol as footsteps approached, but it was only one of the other search parties. Tansley briefly conferred with the second lieutenant leading it and shook his head as he reported back.

"No survivors found so far, ma'am," he said to Amelia.

Gray, who was kneeling over the body of one of the Company troopers, waved. Amelia nodded her thanks to Tansley and left to join her. Gray was already writing her explanation.

THIS MAN WAS SHOT IN THE BACK OF THE LEG. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH BEING HIT WHILE RETREATING IN DISORDER.

"I certainly agree about the 'disorder', doctor," said Amelia. "What else?"

Gray turned the dead man's head around to show Amelia the laslock wound burned into the back of his skull. Amelia's eyes narrowed as she understood.

"Executed?"

Gray nodded. HE WAS TAKEN ALIVE. BUT NOT KEPT.

"Like the crew on the _Advent Trader_." Amelia stood up. Gray stood as well and nodded.

I'M SURE THAT AN EXAMINATION OF THE OTHER BODIES WOULD ALSO REVEAL SIMILARITIES.

"I have no doubt." Amelia turned as one of the other search parties arrived and reported to Tansley, who came over to join her looking solemn.

"No survivors anywhere," he said. "And Second Squad reports finding a...school."

"A school?" Aurora frowned curiously.

"For the children of the Company staff assigned here," said Amelia. "They're posted for two-year terms so they bring their families. Children. And the Company provides for them."

"Not this time, ma'am," said Tansley grimly. "There were no survivors there, either."

"I...I see." Aurora shook her head and turned to to Amelia. "What are your orders, Admiral?"

Amelia looked down at the body at her feet. "Command group will take one of the longboats and return to the _Lyonesse_. Continue the search for one hour and then bring everyone else back as well. Find what clues you can. There's nothing more we can do here."

"Aye, ma'am."

Aurora watched her go, not giving the ruined town a backward glance, and then turned to follow her.


	5. Chapter 5

"It was the same raider," said Amelia. "I'm sure of it. Saint Albert's Hope is a tomb."

They were gathered in her stateroom again. The mood was serious and Doppler could see the signs of strain on his wife's face as she explained the grim and gruesome discoveries they had made.

"And nothing stolen?" Rennier asked.

"Not that we could see, sir," said Aurora. "Although Major Tansley and his marines are still searching."

"This does change things, ma'am," said Rennier. "If the attacks have moved into Crescentia Sector from Circle, they're in our jurisdiction. It's our problem now."

"A delicate way of saying that it's _my_ problem now, Flag-Captain," Amelia gave a humourless smile.

Rennier nodded apologetically. "Yes, ma'am."

"Not that there's much we can do about it unless we know where they've gone," said Amelia. "Two days is a substantial head start and they could be going anywhere. If the Major can't find some kind of clue, we'll be searching blind."

Doppler coughed. "I may be able to assist in that regard, Admiral."

"How so, doctor?" Amelia looked up in surprise.

"While you were on the planetoid, Captain Rennier had me use the SIRIUS telescope to take a number of readings of the immediate vicinity." Doppler stepped forward. "As you would expect, there were numerous ion traces from all of the ships coming and going from the waystation. But there was one trace that was stronger than the others. The relative lack of ion decay suggests that it was the most recent one. And since the last ship here must have been the raider..."

"Yes, I see." Amelia smiled, reminding herself once again never to underestimate her eccentric husband.

"What did the traces show, doctor?" asked Aurora.

"Well, two things." Doppler paused. "Firstly, the raider seems to have followed a direct route here. Although I can't be certain without following the inbound trail, and although I haven't finished the calculations...it looks as if they came from Circe Sector. Probably from near where we believe the _Advent Trader_ to have been attacked."

"So it was the same raider, ma'am." Aurora looked at Amelia, who nodded.

"I thought as much. But go on, doctor. What was the second thing?"

Doppler smiled. "Well, I also found the ion trail leads _out_ of the cluster, away from here. The traces are still strong enough to follow."

"They can't be more than a couple of days ahead of us, ma'am," said Rennier. "If we put on maximum sail, we may be able to run them down before they can strike again."

"At the very least, we'll know where they're going," said Amelia. "Well done, doctor. Finish your observations and then pass your data to Ms Mayflower."

"As you wish, Admiral." Doppler smiled.

"And in the meantime, ma'am?" said Rennier.

"The landing party will return in one hour," said Amelia. "But until then, we have to tell people what happened here. Send a message to the Company's representative at Crescentia that Saint Albert's Hope has been destroyed. I'm sure they'll want to know."

Amelia touched a control on the tabletop and the holographic chart flickered into life before her. Doppler watched the ethereal green and blue lights reflected in her eyes as they scanned it.

"We need to mobilise the fleet," Amelia said. "Prepare a message to headquarters. The 12th Scout Flotilla will sail from Crescentia along the Gannic Route and set up a cordon around Saint Albert's Hope to keep out any more unwanted visitors, at least until the Company sends its own ships out here. Tell the 37th Flotilla to abort their sweep of the Ajax Reef and commence a new patrol of the Gannic Route upstream from here. Have Commodore Clendinnen sail the Twelfth Battle Squadron from Darwin's World and call the 39th Battle Squadron back from the Swetz Climb. We need them closer to home. Will the 48th be ready to depart from Port Devereaux yet?"

"I doubt it, ma'am," said Aurora. "The RLS _Retribution_ was scheduled to have her mainmast replaced."

"Then contact the base commander and tell them to work double time," said Amelia. "I need those ships. What about the RLS _Holdfast_? She should have completed her refit by now."

Doppler watched in admiration as Amelia marshalled her forces. It seemed as if she knew where every single ship in her command was and what it could do. He had seen her in command before, of course, but not on the scale of an entire fleet covering a whole sector, and watching her at work was a privilege.

"And issue an all-ports bulletin to shipping," she said finally. "At the least, we can get the word out there."

Rennier nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Very good." Amelia closed the holographic chart and straightened up. "Thank you, everyone. Carry on."

Aurora and Rennier saluted and left. Doppler turned to follow them, but was stopped by Amelia's voice.

"Oh, and doctor?"

"Yes?"

Amelia smiled. "Thank you again for the timely astronomical advice. The way you're going, I might have to recommend an astrophysicist as standard equipment aboard all our vessels."

"Fates forbid," Doppler smiled modestly. "I'm only glad I can be of help."

"You're certainly that." Amelia sat at her desk. Doppler, sensing that the interview was over, gave her a parting smile, and hurried back to his telescope.

* * *

The RLS _Lyonesse_ swept out of the planetoid cluster under full sail, acres of shining white spread to catch the solar wind as she left the ruined waystation far behind her. Doppler stood on the bridge beside Aurora as she input the results of his calculations to the navigational computer.

"Helm, come to port two-seven degrees," she said. "Positive four point three on the bow. Engines all ahead full."

"Port two-seven, positive four point three, all ahead full, aye." The spacer echoed her orders and she turned to Doppler with a smile.

"Well, that should just about do it for now."

Doppler nodded. "I agree. There'll be time to make any corrections necessary. I'll be taking periodic observations anyway and I'll be sure to pass the results on to you."

"I appreciate it, doctor." Aurora touched a few more controls. "So. It's off to the Erincourt Rocks, then."

"The Erincourt Rocks?" Doppler began making his way forward again, but stopped and looked back quizzically.

"That's where we'll end up if we hold this course." Aurora joined him. "It's a fishing ground, very popular with trawler crews."

"Yes, I've heard of it." Doppler scratched his head. "It just seems strange that they'd want to attack something so insignificant as a fishing ground."

"I don't think this pirate is concerned about the value of the target," said Aurora quietly as they descended the bridge steps.

"Yes. Of course. You're right." Doppler sighed. "What a strange turn of events."

"I just hope we catch them in time," said Aurora. "There's bound to be at least a couple of trawlers at the Rocks. They won't stand a chance. Whoever hit Saint Albert's Hope had a lot of firepower and weren't afraid to use it even when the target couldn't fight back."

"It all seems so senseless." Doppler shook his head. "So...the waystation was like the merchant ship? No survivors at all?"

Aurora nodded sadly. "No survivors. No mercy, either. Not even for the children."

"There were children there?" Doppler was stunned. "Good grief...I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I didn't see it myself," said Aurora. "One of the search parties found them. But I saw enough."

Doppler saw the look on her face. "You've never seen anything like that before?"

Aurora shook her head. "No, truth be told. But the Admiral didn't seem to be surprised."

They had reached the SIRIUS telescope, and Doppler looked back along the deck to where Amelia was standing on the bridge in conference with the Captain. He nodded.

"I'm still sure that she knows more than she's let on," he said quietly.

"I think you're right," said Aurora. "But she won't let on until she's sure. You know that about her."

"She doesn't like admitting doubt," Doppler agreed. "Still...we'll just have to try our best to help her."

"I'm sure you will." Aurora looked ahead of the ship. "And I'll do what I can."

"I don't doubt it." Doppler took his seat at the telescope and adjusted the eyepiece.

"When will you have your next set of observations?"

"Oh, let's say two hours," Doppler waggled a hand. "I'd like to go back over the first set before I give them to you, just to be sure. Will you still be on the bridge then?"

Aurora nodded. "Yes, I'll be on watch. Speaking of which, I'd better go and report in."

"I won't detain you, then." Doppler smiled. "Good luck."

Aurora smiled back. "And to you as well, doctor. We may all need some soon."

* * *

The morale of the crew had been shaken by their failure to reach the waystation in time, as well as the stories of what had been found there that circulated as soon as the search parties had returned, but the mood improved when word got around that the _Lyonesse_ was now in pursuit of the enemy. In any case, as the ship powered towards the Erincourt Rocks, Amelia and Rennier trained the crew incessantly. Topmen raced each other up and down the ratlines. Marines ran the length and breadth of the main deck, practising marksmanship and bayonet drill. Below deck, spacers laboured at the ship's guns in simulated combat. All Doppler could do for the most part was keep out of the way and hope that the crew remembered to respect the area of the foredeck that had been cordoned off around the SIRIUS telescope. One afternoon, as they approached the Rocks, he closed the lens and made his way aft, dodging out of the way of a group of marines as they jogged past in full kit. The quarterdeck was little safer as a refuge, however, as the ship's officers were not exempt from the training regime and were duelling in pairs, wooden sticks standing in for cutlass steel. He hovered at the edge of deck, trying to attract the attention of Aurora, who was in shirtsleeves and a white canvas waistcoat as she sparred with Lieutenant-Commander Constantine. She eventually caught sight of Doppler and excused herself to her opponent.

"Begging your pardon, sir. I'd better see to this."

Constantine nodded. "Carry on, Ms Mayflower."

She touched her forelock and stepped away from the group to join Doppler at the rail.

"Good afternoon, doctor. Is everything all right?"

"Oh, well enough, I suppose." Doppler smiled at her. "I hope you're all right, too, if I'm interrupting you."

Aurora held up her stick and grinned. "I can't say that there's much subtlety to using a cutlass, but I suppose it helps to keep one's eye in. Would you like to join us?"

Doppler laughed nervously as he watched Lieutenant Macpherson trip Midshipman Collis, dropping him heavily to the deck on his backside. "Ahah...no, no, it's not really my scene."

"Well, you're already the best shot on board, so nobody can say you don't pull your weight." Aurora said. "I heard that you'd make rather a good marine on that score."

"I'd rather not put that theory to the test." Doppler smiled as she picked up her blue coat from the ship's railing and slung it over her shoulder.

"Perhaps not. It wouldn't do to upset the marines any further. What can I do for you?"

Doppler produced his page of calculations. "A last minute course change, I'm afraid."

"Of course." Aurora nodded. "Follow me."

She led him up to the bridge and nodded to Lieutenant Brierly, who was standing watch. He touched his hat to her and stood aside as she began working at the navigational console. The Erincourt Rocks filled a full quarter of the sky ahead of them, countless jagged asteroids floating in an orange-red haze.

"I think that six degrees to port should do it," Doppler said, looking over her shoulder.

Aurora smiled. "Having given up on the Royal Marines, are you auditioning for my job now, doctor?"

Doppler laughed. "Heaven forbid. No, no, that was just an estimate."

"Well, it looks like a good one to me." Aurora nodded to the helmsman. "Six degrees to port, if you please."

"Six to port it is, ma'am!"

"So," Aurora watched the compass ticking around as the ship turned, and looked back to Doppler. "They definitely went into the rocks, then?"

"Oh, yes." Doppler nodded. "No doubt about that. They just didn't keep heading into the centre."

"The asteroids are pretty close-packed in there," said Aurora. "The trawlers tend to avoid that area even though that's where the best fishing is."

"So...the outer rocks are where you'd go if you wanted to find a trawler to attack," Doppler said.

Aurora winced. "Yes...I suppose it would be."

"Admiral on the bridge!"

The shout brought their attention to the top of the stairs, where Amelia was striding onto the bridge.

"Report, Mr Brierly," she said crisply. "We're on a new heading."

Aurora glanced wryly at Doppler.

"A six degree course change and she must have noticed it before we'd even turned through two. That's my Admiral." She stepped forward, touching her hat as she raised her voice. "My doing, ma'am. Based on Dr Doppler's most recent observations."

"Ah? Very well, then." Amelia raised a telescope and turned it to the view ahead. "We'll follow the trail into the rocks."

"Ah." Doppler coughed. "Well...the thing about that..."

"Yes, doctor?"

"That's where it all gets rather complicated, you see...there are all kinds of currents and eddies in there, swirling around the asteroids," Doppler said. "The trail seems to break up almost as soon as it reaches them."

"Blast." Amelia snapped the telescope shut. "Well, if they're heading for the outer rocks they're probably looking for a trawler to hit."

"Dr Doppler made that observation as well, ma'am," Aurora shot him a quick wink. Amelia turned and looked at him with an expression both approving and amused.

"Did he, indeed? You're starting to think like a pirate, doctor."

"Almost as dangerous as starting to think like a naval officer, ma'am," Aurora grinned.

"Quite so." Amelia smiled. "How long until we enter the outer rocks, Ms Mayflower?"

"About thirty minutes on this heading, ma'am."

Amelia nodded. "Very good. Officer of the watch, call Captain Rennier to the bridge. Stand down the crew from exercises and have them stow all equipment. We'll stand to alert status as soon as we reach the rocks. It's ambush country in there and it could happen to us as easily as to a trawler if we're not careful."

Lieutenant Brierly touched his hat. "Aye, ma'am."

"We'll post extra lookouts aloft." Amelia narrowed her eyes. "That cloud won't do us any favours. Can your telescope see through it, doctor?"

Doppler shook his head. "If it was gas, I might be able to screen it out to some extent, but it isn't. It's a haze of organic molecules. They accrete on the rocks and form the deposits that attract the etherfish."

"Very interesting, but not especially helpful." Amelia smiled. "Well, so be it. We'll do this the old-fashioned way."

"Do you think that the raider knows we're following them, ma'am?" asked Aurora.

"That depends on whether they know it's possible." Amelia looked at Doppler, her eyebrow raised questioningly. He coughed and adjusted his ascot.

"Well...the science is all based on well-known theory. But the SIRIUS telescope is a unique instrument designed for a special purpose. There's never been anything else like it," he added, allowing a touch of pride into his tone.

"I'm glad to hear it," Amelia looked back at the rocks. "In that case, they won't have any reason to think that we're coming for them."

"So we'll engage the enemy if we find them, ma'am?" said Aurora.

"No." Amelia shook her head. "If we find them, we'll destroy them. You have your orders, ladies and gentlemen. Carry on."

* * *

"Contact in sight! Four points off the starboard bow!"

Amelia was already on the bridge, but the lookout's shout brought Doppler hurrying back from the forecastle where he had been trying without success to penetrate the murky haze with the SIRIUS telescope. The ship that had been sighted was small and almost as wide as it was long. A single tall mast rose from the main deck, but the sail hung in shreds and the engines were cold and dark as it listed in orbit around one of the larger asteroids.

"Contact is flying signals, ma'am," said Lieutenant Pike. "She's disabled and requesting assistance."

"Are there any other contacts in sight, Mr Pike?"

"No, ma'am."

"Then bring us alongside them," said Amelia. "Prepare a party of engineers and medical staff. And keep the lookouts sharp and the engines warm."

"Aye, ma'am." Rennier saluted and moved off quietly. Amelia raised her telescope again and focused it, now able to make out a handful of figures on the deck of the stricken ship. From the various cranes and winches she could see, she guessed it to be a long-range trawler of the sort that were often found in this area. The name _Fame_ was painted across her stern

"I don't suppose, doctor," she muttered, "that there's any chance that this is an ambush and that trawler is the bait?"

Doppler made a face. "I wish I could promise that it isn't, but the currents running through these asteroids are stronger than usual around here so the energy traces are even more confusing."

"I feared as much." Amelia grimaced. "Very well. Let's make this quick, Flag-Captain!"

"Yes, ma'am." Rennier agreed as he picked up a speaking trumpet and raised it as they drew alongside the trawler at a hundred metres distance. "Ahoy there, _Fame_!"

There was a pause before a reply floated back across the gap. "Ahoy there! Can you assist us?"

"Affirmative! Stand by to receive my boarding party!" Rennier nodded to Aurora. "Bring us alongside, lieutenant. Ready grapples."

"Aye, sir." Aurora touched her hat. "Port side thrusters, helm. Bring us in slowly."

There were only half a dozen fishermen on the deck of the trawler, and it took most of them to receive the grappling ropes tossed across from the _Lyonesse_ when the two ships came close enough. Amelia scanned the _Fame_ intently as she left the bridge and went to join the boarding party on the main deck, watching for any sign of hidden danger, but the handful of men on the other ship seemed far too preoccupied in staring in awe at the sleek battlecruiser as it neared them. The _Lyonesse_ was more than twice the trawler's length and towered over her as a boarding plank was put across the gap between them.

"Are you sure you should be going?" Doppler joined her nervously.

"I am." Amelia affirmed. "They may be the first survivors of an attack from this raider. If they are, they might have seen them. They could have vital information."

"Yes, you're right, of course." Doppler nodded and sighed. "Just...be careful."

"You say that as if I wouldn't be," Amelia smiled. "Engineers, are you ready?"

A small party of boiler-suited spacers from the ship's engine room had arrived on deck under the leadership of a lieutenant, who nodded. "Yes, ma'am. All set."

"Medical team?" Amelia turned and was not at all surprised to see Gray taking a laslock pistol from Ko and stowing it neatly in her white coat. The surgeon glanced up and nodded.

"Very good, then." Amelia stepped up onto the plank. "Follow me."

She crossed the gap breezily, reminding herself not to look down, and dropped neatly onto the deck of the crippled trawler. She surveyed the crew, trying to identify which one was in charge, a question answered when a stocky Cragorian in a long leather oilskin coat stepped forward and knuckled his forehead.

"Farrington, First Mate," he said. "And gods, are we glad to see you."

"Vice-Admiral Amelia, RLS _Lyonesse_." Amelia returned the salute as a courtesy. "What's your situation here?"

"It's not good," Farrington admitted. "The sail's gone completely. All our stores as well. It was pirates. They hit us without warning."

"What's your mechanical status?"

Farrington shrugged. "Far as I can tell, we're fine once we get a new sail up."

CASUALTIES? Gray held up a note. Farrington stared at the unexpected means of communication, just long enough for Gray to wrinkle her nose in irritation.

"Er...well, that's the thing...the skipper and the rest...we found them all in his cabin aft..."

"Yes?"

Farrington shook his head. Amelia sighed.

"I see. Your services may not be required after all, Surgeon-Commander."

Gray nodded. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE ANYWAY. TO CONFIRM THE MODUS OPERANDI.

"Good point." Amelia turned back to the mate. "Please take my surgeon aft, Mr Farrington. She won't be long."

"If you say so, ma'am." Farrington beckoned to one of the other fishermen. "Go on, Cooper. Quickly, now."

"What happened here?" Amelia watched Gray follow the man towards the sterncastle.

"Well, we just arrived in the Rocks. Took us three weeks. So the skipper sent me and a few of the lads down to the rock below to stock up on fresh water. There's a little spring on the pole, you see. Not well-known but we always use it when we come here. And while we were down there..." Farrington shook his head again. "I don't know where they came from. Out of nowhere. They were alongside before the skipper could get the ship away from them. He must have surrendered straight away because there wasn't any fighting."

"And you were still on the rock?"

"That's right. We couldn't leave. Not with the pirates hanging over us like that. So we waited for them to move off...thought things might be all right since they didn't seem to have done anything to the ship. But then we found the sail...and all our boys that had been left here..."

"Yes, of course." Amelia nodded. "I'm sorry for that."

"I used to be Navy myself, ma'am," said Farrington. "Forty years as a Warrant Officer. Never saw anything like this, though."

"I understand." Amelia looked up as Gray returned and gave a simple, single nod of confirmation. Amelia acknowledged it with a nod in return. "Did you get a look at the pirates? Or at least of their vessel?"

"Got a pretty good look at their ship while it was orbiting above us." Farrington nodded. "It was big. Maybe about as big as yours there."

"Could you make out a name?"

"Not from where we were," said Farrington. "I didn't have a glass with me so I could only see what their ship looked like. Big, like I said. Looked like it was armoured, too. Metal plates from stem to stern."

"Armoured?" Amelia's ears perked up.

"Three masts. No bowsprit, though. Looked like it was built for ramming." Farrington took off his hat and shook his head sadly. "Never stood a chance, our boys."

"There was nothing you could have done," said Amelia. "All you can do now is get your ship home."

"Well, I can do that," said Farrington. "But we'll need a new sail and replacement supplies."

"I'm sure we can oblige." Amelia nodded to the engineer lieutenant. "Mr Kilroy?"

"Of course, ma'am. Right away."

As the engineer moved off, Farrington scratched his head. "Sorry, ma'am. Did you say your name was Amelia?"

Amelia nodded. "That's right. What of it?"

"Well...we found this on the skipper's body." Farrington pulled a folded piece of paper out of the pocket of his oilskin. Amelia didn't need to see that her name was written on it to take it from him and unfurl it.

"It's not the skipper's handwriting," said Farrington. "Do you know what it means, ma'am? Seems funny, robbing a ship, killing everyone and then leaving a note behind..."

"Thank you for your assistance, Mr Farrington." Amelia abruptly folded the note and put it away, cutting off the conversation, though not before Gray's quick eyes had seen it too. "Please liaise with Lieutenant Kilroy for the necessary supplies. Good day to you."

* * *

Doppler watched with relief as the _Fame_ slipped away behind the _Lyonesse_ as they departed. Though the little trawler had been no threat, the discoveries aboard had been an unwelcome reminder of the ruthless enemy that they were hunting. The _Lyonesse_ felt safer in motion, cutting through her element rather than sitting idle and stationary.

"Do you think they'll be all right?" he asked. Aurora was standing beside him.

"Oh, yes. So long as they don't run into the pirate again, I suppose," she said. "It won't take them long to reach the Gannic Route. I understand that we gave them enough supplies to reach Crescentia."

"I'm glad that some good came of it, at least." Doppler shook his head sadly.

"Navigator!" Rennier's voice cut across the deck.

"Pardon me, doctor," Aurora smiled. "Duty calls."

"Of course." Doppler watched her go and join Amelia and Captain Rennier at the main console. He lingered for a moment, looking back at the trawler, before he followed her.

"It's the behaviour of the pirates that has me thinking," Amelia was saying.

"Do you mean the killings?" Doppler said. She looked up at him as he joined the conversation.

"No, no. Although that is unusual. No, I mean the thefts. Or rather, the absence of them." Amelia frowned as she spoke. "They've attacked a merchantman. An EITC waystation. A trawler. Goodness knows what else. But so far, the only things we know they've taken are those poor damned fishermen's supplies. Piracy is always done for profit. Pirate captains only stay in command so long as they can deliver what their crews want – which is loot. The ones who don't are likely to end up with a knife in their backs or marooned on some lonely asteroid with only a laslock for company."

"Yes?"

"Well, our raider in this case hasn't delivered much to their crew, have they? Normally a prize as rich as a Company base would be a field day for scavenging pirates and they'd have taken what they could from the _Advent Trader_ and the _Fame_. But they took nothing and still seem to have their crew under control. That isn't the kind of discipline you'd expect from a mob of pirates."

"What are you thinking, ma'am?" asked Aurora.

"If they aren't profit-seeking plunderers, they're something else," said Amelia. "The question is, where did the raider find a crew like that?"

"In Circe Sector?" Aurora frowned. "Couldn't say, ma'am. Maybe one of the unregulated ports?"

"Yes, perhaps..." Amelia shook her head and turned to Rennier. "But in the meantime, we still have to find them. What's your assessment, Captain?"

"It'd take weeks for one ship to comprehensively search the Erincourt Rocks, ma'am," Rennier replied "Even searching the outer rocks alone would take several days and longer still to search the inner clusters. If the pirate hit and ran, they could be well clear by now. And if we waste time looking for them here...assuming that Dr Doppler's machine could still locate their trail, there's no way we'd be able to catch them even in this ship."

"Unacceptable," Amelia said. "So, ladies and gentlemen, what are our options? Given that we can't wait for the reinforcements we'd need for a proper sweep."

"We could take the _Lyonesse_ out of the rocks a short distance," suggested Aurora. "Just far enough for the SIRIUS telescope to be able to see clearly. Our own optics can still see into the rocks and Dr Doppler would be able to tell us if the enemy's trail re-emerges."

"Is that feasible, doctor?" Amelia looked at him.

Doppler shrugged. "I suppose so, at least in theory. The only trouble is that I'm not sure just how far out we'd need to go before the haze clears enough. The further out we go, the harder it'll be for your lookouts to see back in."

"There's only one way to find out," said Amelia. "Make it so, Captain."

"As you command, ma'am." Rennier touched his hat. "Doctor, if you'd kindly stand to your telescope? And Lieutenant Mayflower, take us out of the rocks and put us on a parallel course."

"Aye, sir." Aurora saluted. Doppler nodded and prepared to head to the forecastle again, but he was stopped after a few steps by a frantic shout from one of the lookouts above.

"Contact! Contact close on the port bow!"

Amelia snatched up a telescope and put it to her eye. Doppler saw her tense as she spotted what the lookout had seen.

"Action stations, Flag-Captain!" she shouted. "Accelerate to combat speed!"

Doppler ran to her side and stared wildly for a moment until he saw it too. A dread shape was emerging from behind a nearby asteroid, long and menacing with square gunmetal grey sails. The bow resembled an axe-blade and the hull was covered with dull metal plates, pitted and streaked with rust that resembled patches of dried blood. Two rows of gunports rippled open as the ship's engines flared redly and began driving it forward.

"Load with high impact shells, Mr Constantine!" Amelia called. "Maximum charge!"

"They're trying to cross our bows, ma'am," warned Rennier. "They mean to rake us at close range."

"We'll meet them broadside to broadside," said Amelia. "We can't afford to be stuck in front of that ram bow of theirs. Battle turn twenty degrees to starboard, Ms Mayflower. Bring the port battery to bear."

"Aye, ma'am!"

The first flashes of gunfire came from the enemy vessel, the sound of the shots reaching them a fraction of a second before the shells whistled past. Doppler flinched at the sound and shook himself.

"Ranging shots," Amelia muttered. "Status, Mr Constantine!"

"Seven guns reporting ready, ma'am!" Constantine replied.

"Bowchasers to begin ranging on the target," said Amelia. "Prepare the rest of the battery for salvo fire. Let's make this one count."

"Aye, ma'am!"

The _Lyonesse_'s forward guns began firing back, sending streaks of electric blue fire out towards the enemy ship. Doppler put his hand on the rail and could feel the reverberations of the bowchasers' recoil running through the timber. It seemed to encourage the enemy's own fire in return, and a rigging rope parted with a snap as a shell sliced through it. The severed rope hissed through the air like a wounded snake and fell to the deck with a thud.

"Quickly, Mr Constantine!" Amelia snapped urgently.

"Fifteen guns ready, ma'am! Sixteen! Seventeen!" Constantine's face was a mask of concentration. "Port battery is fully charged!"

"Salvo fire as soon as you have the range," said Rennier. "Charge and double-shot the carronades as we come close aboard."

"Aye, sir."

The enemy ship seemed to vanish in a flash of flame as it suddenly fired a full broadside, two decks of heavy guns spitting death. Despite himself, Doppler couldn't help giving a yelp of fright as shells hit home. The salvo had been aimed high and he saw ragged holes torn in the _Lyonesse_'s bright white sails. There were explosions against the fore and mainmast, and there was the sound of cracking timbers as an upper yard on the latter came loose from its mounting.

"Get that yard braced back, Captain!" Amelia shouted.

"Aye, ma'am!" Rennier turned. "Mr Macpherson! Get your people aloft!"

"Guns bearing on target, ma'am!" Constantine called. Amelia didn't hesitate.

"Open fire!"

The deck shook underfoot again as the _Lyonesse_ unleashed a broadside of her own. The shells blazed out across the space between the two mighty ships. Doppler tried to follow them, but his attention was diverted by shouts and cracking wood above him. The broken yard on the mainmast came free of its shattered mounting and fell, shredding the sail it supported and tearing through the mainsail below. The enemy ship fired again, and more holes appeared in the _Lyonesse_'s sails, this time matched with a trio of explosions against the hull that made the ship shake even more sharply than the recoil did.

"Maintain fire on the target, Mr Constantine!" Amelia was gripping the main console tightly, glaring at her quarry. The flagship's guns fired again and Doppler saw at least one flash of light on the enemy ship, signifying a direct hit.

"Target is breaking off, ma'am!" Lieutenant Pike called.

"Confirmed, ma'am," said Constantine. "She's turning away from us and heading out into space."

"Full speed, Ms Mayflower!" Amelia snapped. "After her!"

Aurora shook her head. "We can't reach full speed, ma'am, not with this sail damage. We're down to sixty percent engine power."

"Damn it!" Amelia thumped the console in fury. "How quickly can you get those sails re-hoisted, Captain?"

"Not quickly enough, ma'am," said Rennier. "We've got to clear the broken yard brace first, and-"

"Emergency warning light!" shouted Lieutenant Brierly from the damage control console. "Fire in the port bow carronade shell hoist!"

"Activate the fire suppression systems!" Rennier ordered immediately.

"Sir!" Constantine looked around in alarm. "That'll flood the handling chamber! I've still got people in there!"

"If the fire reaches the magazines, it'll cook off the ammunition and we'll lose the whole ship!" Rennier snapped. "Do it!"

Brierly hesitated. Cursing, Rennier reached past him and hit a control. Doppler watched the tense tableaux for a moment before the lieutenant exhaled and nodded.

"Fire's gone, sir. Board is green."

"If they saw the fire, and if they were quick, they might have cleared the chamber in time," said Rennier.

Constantine shook his head. "Aye, sir...if they were lucky, maybe..."

"What's done is done," said Amelia, cutting him off. "We know the risks we run. Notify sick bay. Have them send a casualty team to the forward carronade magazine."

"Yes, ma'am."

"So...it's over?" Doppler tried not to sound hopeful.

Amelia narrowed her eyes and glared at the enemy vessel, which was powering away into space. She knew it was already out of range, and there was no way the _Lyonesse_ could catch up with her crippled sails.

"So it would appear," she muttered. "Captain? Stand down the crew to alert stations and keep watch in case she doubles back."

"Aye, ma'am."

"And get me a full damage assessment as well as an estimate on repair time," Amelia headed for the stairs and began descending to the main deck. "I want us back in pursuit as quickly as possible."

Doppler followed, his heart still racing from the brief battle. Rennier came as well, calling out orders to the crew, gathering spacers and sending them aloft or directing them to clear the severed ropes and pieces of broken yard from the deck.

"Second division aloft and clear that yard brace! Third division to furl and replace the mainsail! Mr Collis, call the carpenter and his mate to the deck! Major Tansley, have your marines get this mess cleared!"

There was a cry of alarm from one of the riggers above. Doppler was vaguely aware of something flashing through the air in front of him and landing with a heavy clang at his feet. He looked down and took a couple of seconds to register the fact that an unexploded shell had just landed less than two feet in front of him. There was a sudden silence, nobody daring to move as they came to the same realisation. Amelia recovered first, clearing her throat and folding her arms behind her back.

"Get that damned thing off my quarterdeck, if you please, Captain," she said, but even her voice held a faint tremor of shock.  
"Aye...aye, ma'am." Rennier blinked. "Sergeant-Major?"

Doppler stared at the shell for a moment longer, taking in every detail of its burnished metal, the dent in its nose from where it had hit the mast and jammed in, the distorted reflection of his own shocked face in the casing and the cracked timber of the deck where it had landed. Then he shook himself and stepped away as a couple of marines picked it up gingerly and dumped it over the side. There was a noticeable relaxation and Doppler reminded himself to start breathing again.

"Close shave for you there, doc," grinned Ko.

He exhaled and wiped his forehead. "As close as I ever care to make it."

"Well, then." Amelia coughed. "Let's not forget that we have work to do, gentlemen. When will you have the damage report, Captain?"

"No more than twenty minutes, ma'am," Rennier said. "Plus perhaps twenty more to compile a repair schedule."

"That would give me enough time to check on the SIRIUS telescope," said Doppler.

Amelia nodded. "Very good. We'll need a new calculation of their course. And bring the rest of your data to my cabin as well. Carry on."

Doppler started forward, but hesitated at the sight of Tansley's marines labouring to throw the debris of the battle overboard, and headed down the aft companionway instead. He returned to his cabin to collect the telescope specifications and then went forward, intending to return to the deck via the forward companionway. It was a decision he regretted, as it meant that he passed through the gundeck in time to see Dr Gray leading the casualty party back to sick bay. They were carrying four stretchers between them, the figures on them worryingly still. Doppler stood aside respectfully, but couldn't help but glance at them as they came past. There wasn't a mark on any of them, no sign of violence at all. They might as well have been sleeping. To his shock, he recognised one of them – Bushell, the young spacer whose trunk he had tripped over during his tour just after he had come on board – and tried to put the thought from his mind.

* * *

The holographic chart above the table in Amelia's stateroom glowed green, but it was now marked with brilliant red spots to mark the pirate attacks, like droplets of blood linked by thin red lines charting estimated courses and speeds. Doppler finished plotting the latest track and nodded to himself as he put aside his pages of calculations.

"It all matches up," he said. "There's no doubt about it. That ship was the one we've been looking for. The one that carried out all those attacks and left the trail we've been following. What I don't understand is why, after so long, they retreated so quickly after firing at us."

"They probably wouldn't have been expecting to meet us," said Rennier. "They were probably lying in wait for another trawler to answer the _Fame_'s distress signals. If they were expecting naval intervention at all, they'd have been thinking of a scouting frigate or corvette rather than a battlecruiser like the _Lyonesse_. They could have defeated them, but we were a tougher target."

"They knew they'd be heavily damaged if they engaged us," Amelia nodded. "And they're a long way from home, wherever their home happens to be. So they fired at our masts to bring down our sails to make sure they could disengage and get away with it."

"Smart tactics," said Doppler.

"I suppose it does display a certain rat cunning," Amelia conceded. "The question now is, where are they going and can we go after them?"

"To answer the second question, the carpenter informs me that a replacement yard can be rigged in around three hours," said Rennier. "We'll have a new mainsail up by then as well. Of course that gives the enemy quite a head start, but if we can maintain full speed I think we can reel them in."

"Excellent." Amelia nodded in satisfaction. "So that just leaves us asking where they're running to. Ms Mayflower?"

"If they stay on their last observed heading? They're heading right for Circe Sector, ma'am," Aurora said, looking up from the chart.

"Then plot a pursuit course," said Amelia. "Engage immediately at best speed."

Doppler looked up sharply and opened his mouth, but it was Rennier who spoke first.

"Across the border?" The Captain cocked his head. "Into another sector? It's out of our jurisdiction, ma'am."

"There's the doctrine of hot pursuit," Aurora said. "That justifies crossing jurisdictional boundaries."

"It also requires the pursuer to remain in contact with the pursued, Ms Mayflower," Rennier pointed out. "And with all due respect to Dr Doppler's machine, I don't think that chasing a spectral ion trail counts."

"So we should tell the other sector," said Doppler. "It's the only thing we can do."

"They wouldn't find her," Amelia said. "If they got our last message, they'll be searching the area of wilderness space where the _Advent Trader_ was attacked, which is on the other side of their sector from here. We're still the closest ship."

Rennier shook his head. "This pirate is a clever bastard, whoever they are," he said. "It's as if they know how to use our command system against us."

Amelia went quiet for a moment before replying. "That's because he does, Captain."

Doppler stared at her. "So you do know who it is?"

Amelia nodded. "Yes. I'm sure of it now. He knows how to use the Navy's system against us because he used to be part of it. His name is Captain Inigo Scalten, or at least it was before he turned renegade. After that, they called him the Crimson Corsair. I recognised his ship. It's called the _Malevolence_. And his style."

Doppler blinked in surprise. "I've heard of the Crimson Corsair. But I thought he was dead. I certainly never knew he used to be in the Royal Navy."

Amelia smiled wryly. "The Navy doesn't tend to publicise that part of his biography. He styles himself as a revolutionary. But he's nothing more than a murderous anarchist. A traitor who just wants to watch the Empire burn."

"I suppose that explains why his attacks have been so devastating," said Doppler. "If he's only out to destroy, he doesn't have to worry about damaging anything."

"Precisely," Amelia nodded. "He kills. And then he spreads the word to the vultures so that they can come in and pick the carcass clean."

"It sounds like you know him well, ma'am," said Rennier. "May I ask how?"

"It was during the Nebula War," Amelia sat down at her desk. "I was still a junior lieutenant at the time, serving on the RLS _Resolute_. Scalten had been conspiring with a corrupt official in the Eastern Iridium Trading Company to pick off ships from our supply convoys, including one my ship was escorting to a naval base. Then he attacked the base itself. Conventional tactics would have had us stay there to secure it, but we decided to pursue. To cut a long story short...we ran him down and gave him a beating, but it was a close-run thing."

Doppler nodded. "I understood that he was killed."

Amelia shook her head. "No. We took him alive and captured his ship. We locked him up in its hold and prepared to tow it back to the base, but a storm blew up. The _Resolute_ had been badly damaged in the battle and we had to cut his ship loose to survive. He disappeared. And everyone assumed he was gone for good...after all, he was chained up aboard a wrecked ship in a violent storm. But it was never confirmed."

"And now he's back," murmured Aurora. She shivered. "What a terrible thought."

"He left this on the _Fame_." Amelia took the folded note out of her pocket and put it on the desk. Doppler craned his head to read it.

"'Tell Amelia'," he murmured. "Just like on the _Advent Trader_."

"This isn't the first note he's left, ma'am?" said Rennier.

Amelia shook her head, quietly observing that Aurora hadn't expressed any surprise in the revelation of the second note. "No. But it's the first one I'm telling you about, because until now I couldn't be sure who was behind them."

"But why does he want you, Amelia?" asked Doppler.

"Because I was there when he was captured," said Amelia. "In fact, I was one of the people who captured him...I was wounded in the fighting aboard his ship when he found me. My...friend Jane Porter was with me, though. She stopped him for long enough for the rest of the crew to reach us and take him prisoner. My appointment as Sector Commander wasn't exactly a secret. He must have heard about it and decided that it was time to take me down a peg or two."

"Ah." Doppler looked away. Amelia's relationship with Jane Porter was a topic of some sensitivity. Amelia clearly disliked talking about it, and Doppler had never worked up the courage to ask. He certainly wouldn't raise the subject in front of an audience, even one as trustworthy as Amelia's Flag-Captain and Flag-Lieutenant.

"So what should we do, ma'am?" asked Rennier. "If it's revenge he's after, he won't attack targets according to their military significance and he clearly doesn't care about looting."

"We should do...whatever he expects us not to do." Amelia stood up again and moved around her desk to look at the holographic chart hovering above the conference table. "That was how we caught him in the Nebula War – by disobeying standard procedure and chasing him down instead of staying behind to defend the base he attacked. He's crossing back into Circe Sector for a reason. He attacked the _Advent Trader_, and made sure it would be discovered in a way that made it easy to determine where and when it had happened. He knew we'd tell Battlefleet Circe as soon as we figured it out and that they'd all flock to that area so they wouldn't be prepared for him to slip back across their borders this far away."

"So he fooled us into creating a diversion for him..." Rennier muttered.

Amelia nodded. "And I fell for it. He sees the Navy as hidebound puppets, blindly following orders. He knows what those orders are. And just like he knows that Battlefleet Circe will be wasting its time in wilderness space, he knows we can't follow him from here."

"So we _should _follow him," said Aurora.

Amelia looked up and smiled at her. "Precisely, navigator. Set your course."

"Right away, ma'am." Aurora smiled back.

Rennier scratched his head as Aurora got to work on the chart. "I appreciate the logic, ma'am, but...leaving our sector...taking the flagship off her station like this..."

"We won't be away for long, if we can run the Corsair down," said Amelia. "And he is a greater threat than anything else right now. Not just to Crescentia, but to the Empire."

"I'm not sure that Admiral Hesilrige and Circe Sector Command will see it that way, though, ma'am," said Rennier doubtfully.

"Why?" said Doppler. "We're only trying to help them."

"Because Vice-Admiral Sir Francis Hesilrige is a cantankerous old bastard," said Amelia promptly. "He regarded himself as being in line for my job at Crescentia before the First Star Lord appointed me over his head and sent him off to Circe instead. I'd like to say that the Navy is so professional that things like that don't matter, but I'd be lying if I did."

"Perhaps we shouldn't do it, then," said Doppler. "I mean, if it'll cause that much trouble..."

"Given a choice between Hesilrige and the Crimson Corsair, I know who I'd pick," said Amelia curtly, cutting him off so sharply that Aurora looked up at her in alarm. "You have your orders, navigator. You as well, Flag-Captain. Carry on."

Rennier and Aurora saluted and turned to leave. Doppler, however, stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"May I speak with you a moment, Admiral? In private?"

"You may." Amelia narrowed her eyes, and saw Aurora cast another worried look back over her shoulder as she followed Rennier from the room. Ignoring it, she waited for the door to close, then turned her gaze back to Doppler, waiting.

"Well." Doppler coughed again to break the awkward silence. "I-"

"I don't want to hear it, Delbert," said Amelia, cutting him off precisely.

"Don't want to hear what? I haven't said anything!" Doppler exclaimed.

"You're about to." Amelia looked at him. "Is this about your research project?"

"I...well, yes. Yes, it is." Doppler was momentarily disarmed, but rallied. "I didn't say anything before because Aurora and the Captain were here, but...you realise that going into another sector, chasing off after this pirate will mean abandoning the observation of the Kovis Binary conjunction? I haven't raised this before because we've still had time to reach them, but if we do this now...my entire purpose for being here will have been wasted."

"I know. But that's not my main concern." Amelia sat down at her desk.

"Not your main concern? But it's the whole point of this voyage!"

"It _was_," said Amelia pointedly. "But that was then. This is now. We have a threat we can't ignore."

"I'm not asking you to ignore it! I'm just asking, why must you break your own rules? You admit yourself that you shouldn't be doing this. Why can't you just tell Admiral Hesilrige and leave it to him while we go and finish our mission?"

This _is_ our mission now! Did you not hear a single thing we just discussed?" Amelia glared. "Battlefleet Circe will be too far away to catch them. If we leave it to them, the Corsair will escape and be free to attack again."

"You can't know that for sure, though," said Doppler insistently.

"It's not a risk I'm willing to take." Amelia looked away. "I won't pay that price."

"And so the SIRIUS Project is what, just part of that price? Just a sacrifice?" Doppler felt his anger rising at Amelia's apparent inability to understand his concern. "Do you know how much effort has gone into it? It's the culmination of years of work! We've worked with five different research institutes, including the Imperial College and the Royal Society! Countless thousands of hours of study and design, all building up to a once-in-a-century moment, and you're willing to throw all of that away over a...a hunch? A guess? A guess that you can catch this raider?"

"I'm aware of the value of the SIRIUS Project," said Amelia, her voice carefully controlled. "That's why I agreed to allow you on board in the first place. But you knew all along that this isn't a research vessel."

"And if the Corsair was alongside us now, I'd agree with you," said Doppler. "But he's not! He's...he's goodness knows where by now! And you're gambling that we can catch him! You're throwing away all my work for this!"

"What do you want from me, Delbert?" Amelia's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I won't apologise for doing my duty."

"I want you to think about what you're doing." Doppler stepped towards her again. "Just...just think! You're abandoning a project that has been years in the making! And you're putting us all at risk! Hasn't that occurred to you?"

"Don't presume to lecture me on the costs of spacing," Amelia's lip curled with contempt.

"So you'd do it? You'd risk this ship and everyone on it to find this pirate?"

"If I catch him, I'll ram this ship down his throat if I have to!" Amelia snarled. "Have you forgotten what the Navy is for?"

"Is it about pride, then? I know he hurt you. I know he attacked us and got away, but that's no reason to take all these risks, to break all these rules!"

"It's nothing to do with my pride, damn you!" Amelia snarled. "We can't ignore a clear and present danger like this. We can't just shrug our shoulders and go home without resolving it."

"But...what about our children? They're waiting for us back on Montressor...if we go after this pirate, we might not survive...and what will become of our children if we don't make it back..."

As soon as he said it, Doppler knew it had been a mistake. Amelia hissed and her eyes flashed with green fire. Doppler had expected her to shout but her reply came in a voice barely above a whisper, which was somehow even worse.

"Don't you dare bring our children into this, Delbert," she said quietly. "Don't you dare."

"I...I just meant that-"

"You meant to blackmail me!" Amelia finally snapped, unleashing the fury that Doppler had feared. "I expected better of you! Don't you see that it's precisely because of them that I have to do this? You saw what happened at Saint Albert's Hope! And on the _Advent Trader_! All of them, every man and woman, dead, butchered like sheep even after they surrendered! And the children, too! Even the children, Delbert!"

"I-" Doppler backed away, eyes wide and hands raised before Amelia's rage.

"You've never understood what this part of my job means!" Amelia closed in on him, teeth bared. "Never! It's not just a flag! Not just a uniform! It's a trust! We have a duty to do out here, and it must be done no matter the cost! No matter what – no matter whom – we leave behind! Our ships are the wooden walls of the Empire! Its sword and its shield! If we falter, there is _nobody _standing behind us."

"I know that, but-"

"There are no 'buts', Delbert!" Amelia glared. "This is my responsibility! I have a pirate raider loose in my sector, killing the people who are under my protection! I will not turn a blind eye to that! Not for your research project! Not for anything! Do you understand me?"

Doppler allowed a pause before he replied, hoping that it allowed Amelia to calm down and consider his reply. "I understand."

"You...understand?" Amelia seemed to have been caught off-guard by his sudden capitulation.

"Yes. And I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned the children. That was...a low blow."

"Yes, it was." Amelia subsided. "You must see, Delbert...it's not that I don't care about them. Out here, I'm as much their protector as anybody else's. And when I go back to them after this voyage, I'll want to be able to look them in the eye."

"What if you don't come back?" Doppler asked.

Amelia closed her eyes for a moment. "That's always been a risk."

"But why must it be like this?"

"It always has been." Amelia looked down. "It's the price of admiralty."

"The what?"

"The price of admiralty," Amelia repeated. "You never studied poetry? Kipling?"

"Not that I remember," Doppler admitted.

"There's not a spacer who doesn't know these lines." Amelia turned to the gallery windows behind her as she began to recite.

"_We have sailed the stars for a thousand years,_

_And they call us, still unfed._

_Though there's never a world of all the worlds,_

_But marks our Empire's dead._

_We have strawed our best to the sky's unrest,_

_To the zaftwings and black hole's pull._

_If blood be the price of admiralty,_

_Fates know, we have paid in full."_

Doppler shivered. "What an awful sentiment..."

"Yes. But it's true." Amelia turned back to him. "It's the price of admiralty...the price of free space lanes, of not having to fear attacks from the skies, the price of the Empire's security...it has always been measured in lives. And our children are only able to sleep safely in their beds because there are people willing to pay the price on their behalf. And now it's our turn. Do you understand what I mean, Delbert?"

"I do." Doppler nodded and looked away. "And you're right, of course..."

Amelia watched his face, wondering whether she had taken her frustration too far. He straightened up, adjusted his ascot, and gave her a small bow.

"Anyway. I take my leave."

"Delbert..." She stepped towards him, moving to raise a hand in reconciliation.

"No. I should go." He moved away from her, picking up the papers he had left on the table. "Good day, Admiral."

Amelia opened her mouth to speak again, but found the words sticking in her throat. She swallowed to clear it, but by then he was gone, closing the cabin door behind him.

* * *

_With apologies to the actual Kipling for stealing some of his best lines._


End file.
